Twenty Eight Turns
by Greenpeapanda
Summary: After the war, Hermione stumbles upon a strange looking time turner with a note from Dumbledore. Taking a leap of faith, she turns it twenty eight times and finds herself decades from 1998. How will the future change when Hermione grows up with the Marauders? How will Hermione change? Time Travel. AU. OOC Hermione. Sirius/Hermione (same age)
1. Chapter 1

_**Welcome to the beginning of Twenty Eight Turns. As a disclaimer, I don't own Harry Potter, its characters, or its plot.**_

 _ **I would like to also give credit where credit is due: The Debt of Time by ShayaLonnie was the inspiration of this story. I was so caught up with the badass that was Mia Potter, I didn't want it to end, so I began spinning this story.**_

 _ **This story is to fulfill my craving for a strong, fearless Hermione. Yes, it does involve time travel, but it is consistent with that of The Prisoner of Azkaban- not Cursed Child. If you are looking for smut, look elsewhere- I don't write detailed sex scenes. If**_ ** _you don't agree with the Sirius/Hermione pairing given that they will be growing up together, turn away now._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

 **Department of Mysteries: 1996**

Spells were flying. The Department of Mysteries was a warzone. In the middle of it all, Sirius Black was dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange. She was fiercely throwing curses towards her cousin with impressive speed, so much so that she was beginning to overtake the wizard. With a crazed grin on her face, she began to shout 'Stupefy!', but was cut short by a strange woman.

This mysterious woman seemingly appeared out of thin air, neither side even noticed her arrival. Her long black curls were soft and elegant as they flowed down her slender waist. Her eyes were a dark chocolate, boarding black, and her eyes, they were her most impressive feature. Despite her aristocratic high cheekbones, lightly tanned skin, and delicate pink lips, her eyes were the reason those who caught her gaze either feared for their lives, or felt that they were in the presence of a queen. They shone with determination and a special sparkle that said she would do anything to reach her ends.

Those fiery eyes fell upon Bellatrix and lit with vengeance. A sane person would run, but the unsuspecting Death Eater had not noticed in time to hear 'Avada Kedavra!' from the young woman's delicate lips.

Bellatrix turned to see the smirk of the familiar curly haired witch before the curse hit her between the eyes, and she fell with a look of shock engraved into her face.

Sirius Black on the other hand, turned toward his savior and only got a glimpse of her winking at him before she disappeared.

The glimpse was enough. Mina was back. His heart started beating faster than he knew possible.

~oo00oo~

 **Number 12 Grimmauld Place: 1998**

Hermione was laying in her bed in Grimmauld Place attempting to sleep. It was a little past midnight, and she knew that as soon as her eyes closed the horrors of the war would replay like a broken record- Bellatrix's torture, Ron leaving, everyone dying. The nightmares were the reason Hermione always looked tired. They made her perfect wandless Silencio. They made her hate closing her eyes.

A scream jolted her from reflecting on the effects of the war on her sleeping habits. On instinct, she grabbed her wand and methodically scanned every room for danger until she was standing in front of Harry's bedroom door where the sound permeated from.

Cracking the door open, she saw her best friend thrashing in his bed, screaming as if he was being murdered. His usually wild black hair was soaked, matting to his forehead, and his lanky limbs were desperately trying to free themselves from his covers. Immediately Hermione rushed to his side, attempting to calm him.

"Harry!" she whispered urgently, shaking him in the process. "It's just a nightmare," she explained to his panicked eyes when they shot open. "It's okay, Harry. I'm here," she whispered soothingly, lightly brushing his wet hair from his eyes. "Move over," she quietly commanded, and the bewildered teen scooted over to let Hermione slip under the covers beside him. Regaining his surroundings and realizing that he was not, in fact, in the Room of Requirement as it burned, he flushed with embarrassment. Hermione did not accept his reaction, and took his hand telling him, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I have them too. Let's just go to bed."

Harry briefly stared up at his best friend, thinking 'what did I ever do to deserve her?', but the thought was left unanswered as both Hermione and Harry fell into their first peaceful slumber in a long time.

~oo00oo~

After the pair awoke, they quietly began their morning routine. Harry made breakfast. Hermione fixed the tea. They would both reminisce about old times as Hogwarts as they ate. Hermione would then go to the Black library and read with a cup of tea beside her and Crookshanks at her lap as Harry would head over to the Burrow to play Quidditch or just chat with the Weasleys. They would later reconvene for dinner either at the Burrow, a muggle Chinese restaurant near the house, or Hermione would cook and Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny would gather around the table and talk about future plans or gossip.

However, after Harry flooed to the Burrow, Hermione decided to clean the house as it was still dank and dusty even after Sirius's renovation. While cleaning the upstairs bathroom to the sounds of Kreacher's dark mutterings, she heard a strange sound from the front room, and she crept out to investigate. She assumed the sound was Kreacher deciding to actually clean, but upon entering the living room, she found no decrepit, cruel house elf, but rather the book of fairytales Dumbledore had bequeathed her, which she had not realized was left out, glowing.

Testing the tome with various revealing spells, she found no traces of Dark magic around the book, so she carefully opened it. She stood there agape as she took in the sight of the strangest time turner she had ever laid her eyes upon. Hermione had no clue as to how the time turner found its way into her book, but it seemed her answer lay in a tiny slip of paper stuck underneath the pendant.

She pulled out the note and read:

 _Go to Hogwarts._

 _Twenty eight turns will do._

The penmanship and vague language was easily recognizable. Albus Dumbledore.

~oo00oo~

Hermione spent the next month covertly studying time travel. She did not want to be under-prepared. The time turner she found, along with the message, was covertly tucked into her pocket at all times. Despite her slight resentment of Dumbledore, she couldn't see any harm in going back in time. Maybe it might set her back far enough to save a few lives, and thus it would be worth the blind leap of faith. Somehow, despite her normally rational mind, she believed that the particular time turner she possessed did not merely send the traveler back a few hours like her last time turner, but years. The worn, discolored gold along with the diamond-like sand hinted at an older, more mysterious bit of magic than the smaller, shinier time turner she briefly owned.

She poured over tome after tome describing the inner workings of time pieces, how time loops, but changes can be made. She read obscure journals about time travel, thanks to the extensive Black library, and attempted to learn from their mistakes. She began to make a list of preparations after reading through all of the books she could find in the library.

 _Learn Occulmency_

 _Make a journal of events since 1991- detailed._

 _Pull money out of Gringotts_

 _Pack appropriate clothes- Hogwarts robes, dress robes, daily robes_

 _Books_

She didn't know how far back she was going to travel, but she was prepared for years. She began learning Occulmency that first night. She had no Legitmins to test her abilities, so she worked on building her walls. She knew that if she travelled back to the middle of the war, she would need to protect her knowledge, so she built a fortress in her mind to surround everything she loved.

Hermione could tell that others were noticing her mental absence. Harry had begun to ask her to come to the Weasleys and often asked if she was okay. Occasionally, Ginny would come over and quite literally drag her best friend to Diagon Alley for shopping and gossip. Every trip was exhausting and tedious. There were reports waiting for her at every corner asking what the 'Golden Trio' had been up to since the war. The press received no more than silent dismissals- Hermione had no patience for fame, and on more than one occasion she was one more question away from hexing the reports.

Somehow, Hermione managed to convince her friends that she was merely studying up for her Seventh year at Hogwarts. Knowing her studious tendencies, Ginny, Ron, and Harry significantly decreased their worry, only insisting that she pull herself away from her books two days each week.

By the end of her second month, she had read every revenant book in the Black library at least one. She had occulmency shields of steel- or at least she hoped. Her beaded bag held one hundred galleons, Hogwarts robes, dress robes, muggle and wizard clothes, hundreds of books including both her time travel books and Hogwarts texts, and a journal that had more wards and protection spells on it than Hogwarts. She was beginning to feel guilt pool inside her heart- she was planning on leaving her friends for possibly another 28 years, and she had yet to spend a decent amount of time with them after the war. They, of course, assumed that she was in a study rut, but they would be seeing her for the rest of their lives. So, she spent two weeks at their will. She swam in the lake behind the Burrow, went shopping with Ginny, watched her little family play quidittch. She ate dinner at the Weasleys, visited friends, laughed, and tried to enjoy every second with her family. As her parents memories were irreplaceable, she found solace among the Weasleys, Harry, and their friends from the DA. She would miss them.

~oo00oo~

 **20 October, 1998**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

After no more than five questions at breakfast, Hermione was at the gates of Hogwarts. It felt like coming home after a semester away from family, but the crumbled stone and rebuilt towers were daggers in her heart to remind Hermione that her home was broken and family members were gone. Holding back her tears, she trudged up the hill to the doors were Headmistress McGonagall was planning to meet her.

 **(An hour earlier: Number 12 Grimmauld Place)**

"I'm going to Hogwarts today, you don't have to wait for me for dinner. I don't know when I'll be back," Hermione attempted to say as casually as she could manage. Her heart was racing at the thought of lying to Harry. In all actuality, she didn't know when she would she her best friend again, so she tried to memorize his face while trying to appear as if everything was normal. She didn't want to leave her best friend, but she knew she couldn't let him stop her.

He looked up with a small spark of surprise playing across his face. "Why are you going to Hogwarts? Semester is going to be starting in a week," he asked.

She, of course, had a prepared story she knew he would accept with few questions. "I am Head Girl, so I am going to discuss this next year with McGonagall."

"Don't you usually do that once you get here?" he questioned.

"This year is shorter than normal ones, so we don't want to waste time," she explained. In truth, she had already talked to Minvera over the floor about details before she even received the time turner.

"Oh, okay," he gave in, still slightly suspicious, then his face lit up when he remembered something. "Oh, Hermione," he began, pulling a box out of a drawer in the kitchen. He set the long box in front of Hermione and smiled. "This is for you. I was going to wait until you actually went off to Hogwarts, but this is to celebrate you becoming Head Girl."

She delicately pulled the lid off of the box. Tucked into a plush blanket of velvet held a beautiful necklace. It was made of a rope Goblin forged white gold with dozens pearls dangling from the chain surrounding a dazzling diamond. It was lovely, priceless, and entirely too much. Tears began rolling down Hermione's face as Harry explained the meaning. "The chain was from the Potter vaults, then the pearls were made to represent everyone in your family: your parents, the Weasleys, me, and our friends. The diamond is you," he said smiling up at her as if she was actually the diamond.

She was about to convince Harry that the necklace was too much and she couldn't take it, especially knowing she was leaving, but he was ahead of her. "You are keeping it. It isn't too much, in fact, it is probably not enough. You have saved my life more times than I can count, and I owe you much more than this," he said both sincerely and sternly- there was no option but to accept his gift.

"It's perfect," she cried, throwing her arms around Harry and trying to portray both her thank you and goodbye in her tight hug. She couldn't hold back the tears when she mumbled, "I love you Harry. I would do it all over again."

When she finally pulled away, he was grinning and holding back tears also. "I'm glad to have you as a sister," he confessed.

"I'm honored to be your sister," she said honestly. It was as if Harry knew what she was actually going to do, and she was feeling her resolve crack.

"You are going to tell me what this meeting was actually about?" he asked, amusement twinkling in his eyes as she blushed from being caught at her lie.

"When I get back, I'll tell you," she promised, adding in her head 'whenever that is'. "Now, put this necklace on. I need to look like royalty for my meeting," she joked with a smirk and turned around waiting.

He gently strung the jewelry around her neck and clasped it with the reverence of touching the Queen. She turned around and gave him another suffocating hug, then bounded towards the the floo knowing if she looked at him again she wouldn't be able to leave. "Goodbye. Love you!" she shouted as she stepped into the floor directing her to Hogsmeade.

 **(Back at Hogwarts:)**

"Ms. Granger," McGonagall greeted as Hermione walked up the steps to the front entrance to Hogwarts. The older witch looked stressed. Her normally tight bun had let loose to free a few strands of hair that floated around Minvera's face. She had gained a few more wrinkles, and her normally strict, flawless appearance was lost in her plain black flowing robes. "I apologize for my appearance, but I believed after our history I wouldn't regret my casual appearance," Minvera explained.

Hermione smiled at her favorite teacher. "Of course not. You are always beautiful, Minerva."

McGonagall rolled her eyes, but she let Hermione in and chucked, "You are already Head Girl, there is no need for extra flattery."

Hermione and Minvera chatted on their walk to the Headmistress office. Hermione wanted to know what else was left to fix at Hogwarts, and Minerva was interested in Hermione's progress with occulmency. Once they reached her office, Minerva settled into her plush chair behind her desk, and Hermione took the seat across from her feeling nervous about what she was about to say. "Minerva-" Hermione began, but the Headmistress stopped her with a hand and smiled at her affectionately.

"I know," the Headmistress stated, then proceeded to explain. "Albus told me long ago this day would come. I know where you are going, and I look forward to seeing you there. I am sorry you wouldn't be able to be Head Girl, you deserve it more than anyone."

Hermione was gobsmacked. If Dumbledore told Minerva about this long ago, it meant that Hermione wasn't going back 28 weeks or months, but 28 years. Despite preparing for 1970, fear still shot into Hermione's heart- her only comfort being Minerva's smile. She was obviously a good friend of McGonagall's even back then. "Can you tell me anything about going back?" the young woman blurted.

Minerva actually laughed at Hermione's outburst. The headmistress must have had this speech well prepared. "Everything will be fine. You will make friends and learn more than you can imagine."

The confirmation of happiness settled Hermione's fears into determination. She looked straight into her mentor's eyes and declared, "I'm ready."

"It was a pleasure," Minerva said, a tear building up in her eyes.

Hermione stood, pulled the time turner from her robes and flicked back the dial 28 times.

The world spun, and she vanished- stumbling, spiraling into past, headfirst.

Once Hermione Granger disappeared, a witch in the corner of the room released her disillusionment and sat on Minerva's desk. "Godric, I was so young," the witch sighed.

"And well-mannered," Minerva added with a smirk as she looked up to the new witch.

"Not for long," the mysterious witch winked and the two older women giggled like old friends.

~oo00oo~

Hermione was in a free-fall through time and space. It was terrifying. She wished to stop until abruptly she landed- hard- onto the very same floor she left. Groaning, she pulled herself off of the floor to find the office nearly the same as it had been in 1998 with one exception- Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello, dear," he greeted with a genial smile. "Lemon drop?"

 _ **Thank you for reading this first chapter. I do have a few disclaimers/announcements.**_

 _ **First: I don't guarantee weekly updates- I have two other active stories I try to update.**_

 _ **Second: If you want to Beta this story or one of my other two, PM me. I would like my stories to be the best they can be.**_

 _ **Finally: If you have any comments, criticisms, suggestions, leave a review. I read them and like to hear feedback. I still don't know how to format for**_ ** _fan , so any suggestions to make my fan fiction better makes me happy._**

 ** _-A.K.L._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I still don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy the chapter!**_

 **20 October, 1970**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Dumbledore?" Hermione questioned as she took a seat in the chair across from his desk like she had been with Minerva no less than a minute ago. "What year is it?" she asked as she looked around his office for hints. There was nothing out of the ordinary to indicate a time change. McGonagall never redecorated, so all of Dumbledore's odds and ends still tinkered around the office like an out of time clock. The only notable difference was Dumbledore and Fawkes, so Hermione could have been in any time between 1956 and 1997.

"1970," he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. All of a sudden, she felt a small presence in her mind like a fly that is buzzing across the room. She put her energy into her occulmency shields. She knew the Headmaster was not to see anything from the future. He smiled and the presence flitted out of her mind as if it was never there in the first place. "I see you know occulmency. It is a very important skill for a time traveler to know," he said with a smile as if he had not just tried to creep inside her thoughts and memories. "Now, what is your name, dear?"

Hermione gave him a puzzled look. He seemed to have been expecting her, but did not know her name? It didn't add up. "Sir, if you are expecting me, why do you not know who I am?" she asked bluntly. After the war, her respect for the ancient wizard was dampened. How could anyone implicitly trust the old man who gave them only ambiguous clues to kill a tyrannical egomaniac?

"Ah," Albus relented. He knew nothing of the girl except what he learned of her from his meeting with her future self the day before. The older version of this girl was quick witted, and he should not have been surprised by her young self- but he was. "I received contact from who I can only assume is an older version of yourself yesterday," he said, the truth seemed to be his only option.

Hermione contemplated his answer. She must have already lived through at least a few years in the past, then visited Albus to ensure he was both there to receive her younger self, but also to plant the time turner when the time was correct. Sometimes Hermione even surprised herself with her own intelligence. However, because this was all due to her future self's construction, she doubted that Albus Dumbledore had any clue as to why she was almost thirty years in the past. Contemplating the situation would have to wait, she needed to blend in to the current time period. "Headmaster, how did my older self say to integrate myself into 1970 society?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore smirked and pulled out a vile from the top drawer of his desk. It was a small, intricately sculpted bottle, no bigger than a shot glass, filled with an iridescent liquid and stoppered with a shimmering crystal cork. "This potion apparently came straight from my dear friend Nicolas Flamel. I am to presume that you know then who he is and what this potion is," he said, and she stared in awe at the Elixir of Life, slowly nodding her head in reply. _How had her future self procured such a substance?_ "Good," the old man said with a smile. "We will also find you a family to live with once you have been properly de-aged. Your future self gave me a good recommendation."

Hermione reached up and tugged at the pearl necklace around her neck. The action was not lost in Dumbledore as he smiled at her intuition. However, it was the middle of a semester, and as Headmaster, he needed to place the girl quickly. "I am going to visit with your new family," he announced, startling Hermione slightly as he stood up and disturbed her thoughts. "Make yourself at home. I'm sure you're familiar with Hogwarts. Call a Niffy if you need anything."

Albus nodded his head once in goodbye, then announced 'Potter Manor!' and disappeared into the fireplace. The silence that flowed around Hermione in the Headmaster's absence helped to organize her racing thoughts. She stared at the potion sitting on his desk as she planned her first day in the 70's. First off, while she was nineteen and did not have the Trace on her wand, so she transfigured the spare clothes she bought to be the size fit to an eleven year old. After all, if it was 1970, and she was going to be joining the Potter family, she would need to be not only a child but the same age as James. She needed to keep an eye on James, Sirius, and Remus, and the best way to do so would involve going to Hogwarts alongside them. She had not been thrown back nearly three decades for nothing, and if she could save even one of them, the entire trip- and reliving puberty- would be worth it.

Secondly, she set to cover her scars with the strongest glamour charms she knew. She watched as each scar, from her 'mudblood' scar on her forearm to the many scars on her back and face, disappeared under a shimmer from her wand. She knew that this charm would not last forever, but reapplication was hardly a price to pay.

After her scars were covered, she moved on to her backstory. Curling up in the chair, she began weaving out her new life. She was to become eleven years old, orphaned probably due to Death Eaters. She would convince Mrs. Potter to formally induct Hermione into her family using blood adoption to save herself from another Death Eater attack. After all, if Hermione was a pureblood, she would have much less problems in this generation. She would also need to change her name. She didn't want anyone to remember her by the time 1991 rolled around. However, she needed something she could easily learn to respond to- something close to her name now.

Mione was both a horrid nickname and all to close to her actual name. Mia sounded too delicate. Minnie reminded her both of the mouse and Minerva. Mina. She had heard Sirius refer to her as Mina the night she saved him. Though, however much she did not like nicknames, Mina seemed to click. She tested it out in her head over and over. Mina Potter. _Mina_ Potter. Mina _Potter. Mina Potter_. Yes, that would do.

After her name was sorted out, she looked at the Elixir of Life again. She needed to just drink it and get it over with, but her reluctance won out, and she called for Niffy to bring her some lunch.

~oo00oo~

No sooner had she called the house elf to take back the now-empty tray from lunch, Dumbledore came walking through the floo- Mrs. Potter in tow.

Her mind began to race. She had not intended for anyone but Dumbledore to see her before she de-aged. How would she explain herself? The truth was the most obvious option, but not wise when the truth involved the death of their beloved ten-year-old son. However, the Headmaster seemed perfectly at ease with her appearance as he took his seat behind his desk.

Mrs. Potter was the epitome of elegance. She looked as royalty should- silver hair pulled into a flawless braided chignon at the base of her neck, powder blue robes flowing from her lightly-tanned, willowy body, grey, almond-shaped eyes decorated with smile lines. Every move she made was graceful, defined more so by her age. She was in her early seventies, and although it shown by the lines etched in her face, she exuded timelessness.

When Mrs. Potter turned to properly introduce herself, Hermione-now Mina was nearly speechless both with awe and fear that she had already ruined her chance to integrate into 1970. "Mina," she managed to squeak as the older woman took her hand. Her panicked display seemed to amuse Mrs. Potter who let out a tinkling laugh and replied, "Euphemia Potter, your new mother." She paused to give Mina a glance. "Though, you don't look as if you're the age to need one," she said with a conspiratorial wink.

Euphemia turned to Dumbledore with both mirth and hope dancing in her eyes. She looked like a woman you would never turn down either due to fear of disappointing her or fear of her reaction to you denial. "I'll need to speak to Fleamont first, but I'm confident he'll agree once that she has been de-aged that she will make a fine Potter," she said smiling. "I don't want a paper trail of this, however," she began turning back to Mina in the process. "I hope you don't mind a blood adoption, but it would be the best option in your situation."

Mina was floored. She had been expecting to convince- and even beg if it came to it- Mrs. Potter to take her in using blood adoption. The woman's seemingly immediate acceptance made Mina's heart heavy with love and guilt. Love, because she could already feel an everlasting bond growing between her and Euphemia, and guilt, because she she knew her son was going to die. Caught up in emotion, she found herself being enveloped into the warmth of Euphemia's arms. It felt like long lost home.

"Am I too presumptuous to take that as a yes?" Euphemia asked Mina, her smile lightening the mood and Mina's heart.

"No," Mina said with a watery laugh. She extradited herself too soon from Euphemia's soft embrace, and pulled herself together before addressing her soon-to-be mother. "I would be honored to be your daughter," Mina said resolutely, trying to emulate Euphemia's firm grace.

Euphemia's eyes lit up. She looked at Mina as if she was just given all of the gold in Gringotts. "Oh dear," she cried softly, sweeping Mina into another loving embrace. "You've just given me the world."

Dumbledore looked at the two women entwined together, and he couldn't help but feel that if anything, Hermione Granger gave an old woman more happiness than she could have imagined otherwise. Fleamont would be ecstatic. He watched on as they slowly parted, the bond between them growing stronger by the second. "So," he began, pulling their attention back to the situation, "Shall we move on?"

Euphemia's posture straightened back to rigid formality, and she took charge of the scene once again. "I believe Mina should take her de-aging potion, then we will go back to Potter Manor to settle the adoption," she commandeered.

Mina happily agreed. She took the potion from off the desk, un-corked it, and drained it without a second thought. The potion sent a tingling feeling from her middle outward, and her body began to shrink, reacquainting itself with being eleven years old and quite small again. She watched as the desk became taller and her clothes became baggier. Once she was sure her body was done, she used her wand to replace the too-large clothes she was wearing with the pre-shrunk plain dress in her bag.

She stood up feeling uncomfortably small and faced Dumbledore. "Thank you very much for your help, Headmaster."

"It was a pleasure," he replied, the twinkle back in his eye. "I look forward to seeing you again next year."

~oo00oo~

 **Potter Manor**

Euphemia was practically skipping as she lead Mina around Potter Manor towards Fleamont's office. She introduced Mina to every portrait they passed, and every Potter and Rosier welcomed Mina into the family with kindness and compassion beyond measure. Lady Fleamont was particularly excited to see her long awaited great-great-granddaughter, and told her that if she ever needed any fashion advice or gossip to visit.

Mina was particularly overwhelmed by the grandeur of Potter Manor. She had always assumed that Pureblood families kept homes as dark and unwelcoming as Grimmauld Place or Malfoy Manor, but every room she walked into in Potter Manor portrayed nothing less than simple elegance. The drawing room, where the floo was connected, had tall cream walls with large, white shuttered windows. The furniture was fine and old, but cozy. Soothing hues of silvery blue, grey, and cream decorated the room and made the room feel relaxing, yet grand.

The rest of the manor house was no different. The entire house had vaulted ceilings. Every hall they wound through was bright, painted with various shades of off-white. Windows lit up every room with natural light and gave beautiful views of the expansive gardens. It was the perfect combination of wealth and comfort.

When they reached Fleamont's office, the colour scheme changed. Instead of blues and earth-tones, the dark wood door opened to a recreation of the Gryffindor common room. The walls were painted burgundy, thick red and gold curtains fell from the expansive wall of windows creating a warm, dark office. The carpets were a lush deep brown, and squashy red and brown chairs decorated the room. One wall was a massive bookcase that was stuffed to the seams with tomes. Another wall held a sitting area around a personal fireplace, then, in the center of the room, was Fleamont sitting at a L-shaped mahogany desk.

Fleamont Potter was very much a spry old man. His grey hair stuck out at odd angles, reminiscent of Harry's unruly hair. His deep, near-black, brown eyes were squinty, he was thin, of medium height, and had a large charming smile that could rival that of Gilderoy Lockhart. "Why hello!" he chirped and pulled himself away from his desk. He first gave his wife a chaste kiss, then turned his attention to Mina. His eyes were filled with joy. "I have been waiting a long time for you," he said suddenly seriously. "My wife and I always wanted kids, and when James decided to finally show up, we were overjoyed. But, I always knew he wasn't the only one. I'm happy my little princess has finally come." He kissed her on the cheek and held her tight as if he was trying to get back the time he lost. After a minute he pulled away, his eyes glassy, and asked his wife, "What did our princess decide to name herself?"

"Mina," Euphemia said reverently.

Fleamont beamed as he turned back to her. "Mina," he repeated in awe. "That was my mother's name."

~oo00oo~

They had talked for two hours. They asked her about her past- only the basics, they didn't want to know about the future. They talked about what she liked, what they liked. They talked about the world and what was going on. They told her about her new brother, James- how he loved Quidditch, how he hated kidney beans, and how he always wanted a sister. Then, they planned. They mapped how how they would integrate her into their lives, what her backstory would be, and how they would move forward. She was going to have lessons with both of them for two hours each a day. Euphemia would educate her on customs, proper decorum, and family history, and Fleamont would show her how to navigate the family holdings and teach her how to invent.

The only things left to do for the night was to preform the blood adoption and show her to her room. She would meet James in the morning.

"Now, I will make a small cut in my palm, as will you," Fleamont explained, "Then, as the Head of the House of Potter, I will take your hand in mine and declare you my daughter." The elderly man was rather cheerful to be explaining a blood bond, but his eccentric nature was nearly contagious, and Mia could help but feel his excitement as well.

"Ready?" he asked seriously.

"Yes, sir," she said confidently, bringing her wand to her hand, but he cut her short, pulling her wand away.

"Call me dad," he said softly, his squinty brown eyes hopeful.

"Yes. Dad," she replied. It felt both odd and familiar simultaneously to call him dad. She knew her parents back in her time didn't even remember they had a daughter, but if felt slightly like she was disrespecting them. However, at the same time, she truly felt after such a short time that the elderly couple in front of her were family.

"And please," Euphemia spoke up, "Call me mum."

"Yes, mum," she said, happy tears forming in her eyes. She felt like she truly had family again.

"Now," Fleamont began, pulling her attention back to the ritual. He silently waved his wand and a small cut ran across his palm. He held it out towards her as she did the same. As their bloody hands mixed he commanded, "I, Fleamont Henry Potter, Head of the Noble House of Potter, declare Mina," he paused realizing he didn't have her middle name. When she did not offer one, he continued, "Emma Potter my blood-born daughter, and an heir of the Noble House of Potter."

All of a sudden, there was a shining gold rope that appeared out of Fleamont's wand and wrapped itself around their hands. It warmed her every pore from the inside out and glowed bright until it was nearly blinding, then as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

The newly formed bond was tangible. Her growing affection for Fleamont and Euphemia, now equaled her love for her birth parents. She hadn't even met James, but she knew that she would do anything for him- he was her brother. She could also feel the house, specifically the blood wards that surrounded it- they welcomed her like a long lost child that came home.

She was so overwhelmed with new emotion, she fell into Fleamont's open arms. Euphemia came over and wrapped her arms around them both. They all silently wept with love. Euphemia and Fleamont because they finally had the family they always wanted, and Mina because she finally felt whole. It was if she never realized she was missing a part of her until she fell into the arms of the Potters, and they fit into the hole in her heart like a puzzle piece.

That was the moment Hermione Granger and Mina Potter stopped being one person. Hermione was not whole, but Mina was.

~oo00oo~

"This is your room," Euphemia announced as they reached a set of dark wood double doors at the end of a long hall.

The trip to her room was just as breath-taking as the way to Fleamont's office, but more subdued. They were both away, caught up in their own thoughts, that it wasn't until they reached Mina's room that they realized they had stopped.

Mina couldn't help but gasp when the doors opened. The room was made for her. There were two whole walls that were floor to ceiling bookshelves just waiting to be filled and a desk in the corner with a beautiful lamp atop it. In the center of another wall set a beautiful queen sized bed. It's hangings were sheer white lace that matched the pure white bed coverings. The posts were intricately carved with dragons winding around and wizards chasing them at the bottom. At the foot of her bed was a lovely old trunk. It was emblazoned with the Potter crest that sat next to the Hogwarts crest on the black wooden face. The final wall held the most magnificent bench seat Mina had ever seen. The wall held large windows that were framed by a long black wood bench. It had, what looked to be, the plushest cushion sitting on top of it just waiting to be laid on.

Mina squealed. "It's perfect!" she gushed, pulling her mother into another hug. Euphemia glowed, so happy that her new little girl liked her room.

"It has gotten awfully late," Euphemia began in a motherly tone. "If you need anything at all, call Pimsy. She assured me for many years that you would come, so I believe she will be eager to meet you. She will bring you anything you need. Tomorrow we will go out shopping and get you everything," she said, her eyes twinkling with anticipation. Mina, despite not wanting to be burden, could not voice a protest, because denying Euphemia joy felt worse than draining their Gringotts account. "Goodnight, my sweet," she said and dropped a kiss on Mina's forehead, stroking her hair in the process. She gave one last long look to Mina, as if to make sure she would be there in the morning, then left for her own quarters, shutting the doors on the way out.

Despite the unsurmountable joy and love Mina experienced that day, fatigue struck her like a bludger once Euphemia left. She collapsed onto the soft bed and let out a long sigh. It had been a _long_ day, and all she wanted was sleep.

"Pimsy," she weakly called.

A pop came from the corner of the room, then a small body bounded onto the bed. "Young Mistress is here!" the little elf squealed. Pimsy was dressed in a delicate swatch of periwinkle silk that was draped over her like a toga, her eyes were the size of tennis balls and bright lavender. Her face was small and her nose was daintily up-turned, but her smile was wide, and her eyes sparkled. "Pimsy has waited a long time for Young Miss Mina to arrive. Pimsy has even made her a nightgown for her first night," Pimsy gushed.

Mina found herself being pulled from her soft bed by the small elf. "Wha-" she began, but Pimsy cut her off with a stern look. "No buts, Young Miss," Pimsy scolded. "Pimsy has waited long enough for Young Miss, the least she can do is stand up."

Properly scolded, Mina let Pimsy take over. The little elf vanished Mina's clothes, much to her embarrassment, but the elf paid no mind as she then summoned a handmade nightgown. The dress was carefully sown- it was made of a light cotton with soft lace trim, and it flowed around Mina's ankles. It looked like a proper elegant house dress. She felt like royalty.

Pimsy flushed under Mina's compliments, but kept at her work. She sat Mina down and washed her face and brushed her hair. She told Mina she had the most beautiful hair which Mina could only scoff at. The little elf, however, was having none of Mina's self depreciation. She summoned a mirror and made Mina look into it. Staring back at her was the daughter of Euphemia and Fleamont. Her hair was black and her eyes were dark chocolate, just like Fleamont's, but her hair fell in delicate curls and her regal features were all Euphemia. She still looked like a darker-haired Hermione Granger, but she didn't realize just how many of her features were so similar to her new parent's.

Pimsy smirked at Mina's reaction to her reflection, but quickly brought her away from it. "Young Mistress needs to go to bed," Pimsy commanded, taking away the mirror.

"You don't have to serve me, Pimsy," Mina said. She knew at that point that it was no use trying to free the house elves when they clearly were not happy with the idea, but she truly felt guilty when she made their workload heavier.

Pimsy turned to her with a stern look. "Pimsy serves the House of Potter with pride. Is Young Mistress trying to say Pimsy does not deserve to serve the House of Potter?"

"No!" Mina said hurriedly, she could tell she had offended Pimsy and attempted to make it better, but the elf's expression suddenly turned happy once again.

"Good," Pimsy said with a smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Knowing she was played quite well by the house elf, Mina decided to surrender. "Goodnight, Young Mistress."

Mina fell back into bed with a groan. She was just manipulated by the Potter house elf, and she found herself begrudgingly respecting the house elf for her superior cunning. She didn't even realize it when she fell asleep on top of the covers in the middle of the bed.

 _ **A.N. This will not update next week. I will still continue to write it, but I will be updating my other two next week. I hope you have a great week!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I don't own Harry Potter- if I did, I wouldn't have as much student debt as I do now! Enjoy reading.**_

 **21 October, 1970**

 **Potter Manor**

Hermione-Mina woke up to the jolting feeling of being watched. Turns out, it was just the feeling of a ten-year-old James Potter standing above her bed, staring at her questionably. That didn't stop her from screaming.

"Oi!" he yelped and stumbled backwards. "What was that for?"

"Why were you watching me?" she shrieked indignantly.

"I'm not the strange new sibling that mysteriously shows up out of thin air," he grumbled while righting himself from his fall.

"I'm not the boy who thinks it's okay to greet their new sister by creepily watching her sleep," Mina countered, folding her arms over her tiny eleven-year-old chest and giving him a soft glare.

The boy huffed. He really did look exactly like Harry- except for Lily's eyes. His hair was a black messy mop, his hazel eyes twinkled with mischief, a pair of round glasses stood upon his slightly uneven nose, and his fair skin and high cheekbones rang of handsomeness and aristocracy. A pang of longing hit her as she realized she would not be seeing her friend for a very long time. Young James seemed to pick up on her mood, and plopped himself next to her on her bed. "I'm James," he said as if his name made everything alright.

"Mina," she replied softly.

He seemed to contemplate her name for a minute, then he shook is head. "No, you're Minie," he said resolutely. Before she could tell him that she did _not_ do nicknames, he began telling her everything. _Everything._ "Mum and Dad say that you're my new sister, and we're twins. I've always wanted a twin and a sister. Pimsy told me I would get a sister. I never believed her, so I guess I owe her a sickle now. We get to go to Hogwarts next year, and we're going to be in Gryffindor just like dad. Mum went to Beauxbatons, and she wanted us to go there, but dad said if we have to spend every holiday in France, we're going to Hogwarts. Also, our birthday is the 27th of March, and you were born second."

Mina barely had time to digest Jame's outpouring of near-useless information before her child-mind had her protesting, "I am older! I was born first." Technically not true, but if she were born in 1970, she would be born a few months before him.

"You were family after me," he whined.

"Pimsy predicted me from the start," Mina drawled.

"Fine. You're older, but I'm handsomer. Mummy said so," he smirked. Then, he jumped off the bed and headed towards the door as if his morning entertainment was over, and he was bored.

"I'd rather be beautiful than handsome," Mina teased.

James turned around, a mischievous half-smile on his small face. "Oh, I forgot. Breakfast was twenty minutes ago. Shouldn't be late, Mum gets mad," he said innocently, before running away laughing.

Mina huffed. She had never been a fan of being late, so it irritated her when she had to scramble through her beaded bag, knocking over a pile of carefully organized books, to find an outfit for the day. She only noticed the sky blue robes laying at the foot of her bed once she had gotten herself into a proper tizzy over not being able to do magic. She was not sure if the de-aging from the Elixir of Life would make her have the trace back on again, and not willing to risk it quite yet, she quickly put on the handmade robes and navigated her way to the dining room.

~oo00oo~

"Good morning, dear," Euphemia called when Mina stumbled into the dining room ten minutes later- as she had gotten lost along the way and had to call for Pimsy. "I hope you slept well."

James was glaring petulantly at his mother, expecting her to lecture Mina on tardiness as she did to him quite often. However, Lady Potter ignored her son's glare and kept reading the morning paper. He turned to Fleamont to try to garner a reaction out of his usually cheerfully calm father, but his dad was chatting happily with Mina. A normal child would continue to be upset at the lack of fairness displayed to the new sibling, but James couldn't let a small moment of unfairness bring him down. He had a sibling- finally. He was determined not to let a single moment go to waste, so he joined in on his dad and Minie's conversation, much to his mother's silent enjoyment.

Breakfast went swimmingly for Mina as she chatted with Fleamont and James about everything from food to quidditch. For once, she found it relatively easy to keep pace with a 10 year old Quidditch fan after going through Hogwarts with Harry and Ron. James seemed to think that her knowledge of the sport like icing on a cake, and from then on out, he was truly her's.

Once the food was eaten, Fleamont and Euphemia shooed the children out of the kitchen and told them to play for the next hour before their lessons. James, in typical boyish fashion, drug Mina out to his makeshift Quidditch pitch, and he was overjoyed at the opportunity to teach her to fly a broom. Normally, Hermione would have venomously rejected touching a broomstick, but after going through a war and having the opportunity to re-do her childhood, Mina attentively listened to James' instructions.

Despite his age, the boy was a good teacher. He was very patient and kind. He kept reminding her that as a witch, she had better things to fear than heights. She hadn't managed to get nearly as high or fast as James had on his broom, but she had managed to catch the Quaffle he threw at her without falling off of her broom. By the time Euphemia called them in for lessons, he had declared that she had potential. Feeling on high from her success at facing her fear, she hugged him tight and said, "Thank you... Jamie." She pulled away and ran into the Manor to hear him shouting behind her, "That's a girl's name!"

~oo00oo~

Euphemia's 'lesson' of the day was actually a shopping trip to Paris. She had somehow managed to convince the Ministry that there was an emergency in her family, and she needed a Portkey right away. She instructed Mina to appear panicked as they entered the Ministry and to keep up the act until they had actually gotten to France. Euphemia was a brilliant actress and played her part to perfection. She looked to be near passing out all the while fidgeting at the right moments, and letting out long sighs of distress.

When they popped into existence in a back alley in Paris, Euphemia had a devilish, Slytherin smirk on her face when she directed Mina into the nearest boutique. As it turned out, Paris had a large wizarding population that had much better taste in fashion to their English counterparts. While the witches still wore mostly robes or dresses, they offered more modern, elegant options. Every new robe she tried on made Mina feel more like a princess as she twirled around in outfit after outfit of delicate silk, chiffon, satin, and lace. Euphemia scoffed at her first comment, "Wouldn't this be too light for England?" replying "Witches have warming charms."

After an hour of filling bag after magically shrunken bag with delicate dresses and robes, they moved on to practical wear. Mina felt powerful and slightly wicked as she was fitted into a dragonhide training suit. Euphemia told her that no one outside of family needed to see her in the suit, not even James if they could help it. The black, thin suit was skin tight and covered in tiny soft scales. There was slightly harder armor around her chest, shoulders, and thighs for extra protection. The suit would grow with her for at least another two years or so, and when it stopped fitting they would come back and get a better one made as she grew magically. Mina felt like a badass.

The other practical wear included jeans, normal shirts, a jacket- black leather as she had not gotten over her feeling of badassness yet, and shoes. She was now in possession of one pair of muggle trainers, multiple pairs of boots, heels, flats, and a couple pairs of sandals for their family vacations. Euphemia was particularly enjoying the view of her daughter attempting to walk around in 5 inch platform pumps, before the girl gave up in a huff. The older woman's eyes sparkled as she had never felt more fulfilled than watching her new daughter come out of dressing rooms smiling and asking for her approval, then twirling around like the little princess she was. Euphemia almost cried out of pure happiness, but she managed to hold it in, and instead she pulled her little angel to the next store with a grin.

Two hours later, and laden with spoils, Mrs. Potter and her daughter ate at a small cafe in muggle Paris and had a lesson.

"You are a Pureblood now, and although Fleamont and I do not subscribe to many of the ideologies and practices that the other families do, there are some customs you will need to learn. We will go over the finer points of etiquette another day, but today will be an introduction," Euphemia announced, smiling. Then, she gestured to the tea and sandwiches set out in front of them. "Pureblood ladies often host afternoon tea. It is a chance to reacquaint with one another while underhandedly gossipping and bragging. Today, we will make sure you have both the manners and patience to withstand a group of Pureblood ladies."

While they dined, Euphemia would test Mina by making subtle insults, innuendos, and political opinions while gauging Mina's responses and making sure she upheld decorum. It was a trying affair, but the older woman was patient, kind, and had a wealth of advice. "Remember to break bread only above the bread plate." "No slouching." "Only let the mirth reach your eyes. If it is simply too hilarious, cover your mouth and restrain your laugh as well as you can without sounding like a dying horse."

Overall, the lesson went well. The waiter was quite irritated when they left almost an hour and a half past finishing their meal, but Mina was sure the 130 Franc tip softened his scowl.

On their way back to the Portkey, which was a tattered blue ribbon, Euphemia continued her lesson and instructed Mina in the delicate art of posture and grace. She taught primarily by example, but in the case of Mina's horrible slouch, she forcibly shaped her daughter's body into form. By the time they reached the alleyway, Mina held her head high and walked with both a sly sway in her hips and a smirk on her face. Euphemia was pleased.

~oo00oo~

Fleamont's lesson was as eccentric as he was.

"The first step to inventing is to figure out what you want to fix. For example, my hair continually looked like a Niffler was rooting through it, and my wedding day was coming up. Euphemia would not be pleased if I made her look like she was marrying a mad potions master, so I took matters into my own hands. I thought: what would a crazy potions master do to fix his hair? I then began researching potion ingredients that may fit my problem. After a bit of brewing and nearly making myself bald- Sleekeazy's was born. We'll get to branding later. What is a problem you have?" Fleamont asked, his eyes wild with excitement.

Mina was in awe. She was in the presence of the very man that invented the only potion that could tame her hair. She had so many questions, but first she had to answer his. "My most pressing problem at the moment has to be between finding and masking the trace that might be set on my wand and a long term glamour that would last at least a year."

Mina was over the moon at the ability to have a mother and father in this time that would treat her and her ideas with an unprecedented level of respect. Fleamont, on the other hand, was just happy to have a new project, and began animatedly explaining the thought process binding the two issues. "We can find a spell in the library to test if there is a trace on your wand, then if it does have a trace put on it, changing the nature of the trace would be easiest. If we changed the trace to only detect low level spells, it would allow you to practice more advanced magic at home, and still give them readings when you are at Hogwarts. As for the glamour, we will need to look into the essence of what a glamour charm is, then invent a new spell that would pull attach the glamour to a string of your magic. I would look into older books that teach separating magic to cast long lasting spells..."

The two discussed for nearly three hours. Fleamont showed Mina around the Potter library- the way it was organized more precisely. At the end of the third hour they were reading in content, mutual silence. Every now and again one of them would pipe up and cheerily report a finding or discuss a new theory. The experience was enlightening on many levels. They both gained a greater understanding of tracing magic- as it was the first topic they began researching, and each other. Mina determined at the end of their lesson that: first, the easiest solution to her wand problem would be to get a new wand at Ollivander's that she would use at Hogwarts, then remove the trace on her current wand once a new trace was added to her new wand- that way a trace would always be associated with her and no concern would be raised. And second, although her looks had changed to resemble the daughter of the Potter's, she looked more like Euphemia, but thought more like Fleamont, and no one, not even herself sometimes, would see her as anything less than their biological child.

~oo00oo~

Dinner was a cheerful affair as the family chatted about their day and ate a delicious meal courtesy of Pimsy. Mina did not know how, but the little elf knew that bangers and mash with chips on the side was her favorite comfort food, and she nearly drooled when she saw the delectable plate set in front of her. "Thank you, Pimsy," Mina said after the elf served her. Pimsy looked up at her and beamed. "You's most welcome Young Mistress!" she squeaked and popped away.

James was giving her an odd stare, but Euphemia smiled brightly and said, "I think you just made a friend for life, my dear."

Mina thought nothing of the simple kindness, but it seemed to make an impression on James. When dessert came out and they were laughing at a joke that Fleamont told, James turned and gave a quiet thanks to Pimsy, then returned his attention back to his family. What he and Mina missed was the silent communication between Euphemia and Pimsy. Their devious smiles said that they were quite pleased that Mina was becoming a model for behaviour for James- just as planned.

~oo00oo~

"You can play outside until it's dark! Don't go into the forest please!" Euphemia called after the two young children that were racing towards the Quidditch pitch.

Mina found herself pleasantly surprised at James' miraculous ability to make her forget that she was eighteen, not eleven. She giggled uncontrollably at his witty quips and had the time of her life running around the backyard with her new brother. He was completely different than the boy from Snape's memories or from Sirius' childhood. This boy wasn't arrogant and cruel, but hilarious and in desperation for attention. It was not that Euphemia and Fleamont were bad parents in any way, but that there was a lack of other children for James to interact with. Then, when a young girl showed up that was declared his sister, he devoted himself to her for life upon laying eyes on her. Mina was his sister forever, she was the same age as him, and they would always have each other, and in his mind that was perfect.

"Jamie! I can't go that fast!" Mina whined as she attempted to make her broom catch up with her brother's.

"You need to learn by trying, Minie! I will catch you if you fall; you know that," he replied with surprising patience.

By the end of the night, she had made minor improvements from yesterday, but Jamie acted as if she had won the world cup. "Did you see how high you got?" he gibbered excitedly as they walked towards the darkening Manor. "You almost got to the top of the posts! And you didn't even fall!"

Mina found herself becoming just as jubilant as her brother. "Maybe, in a month, I'll be able to actually play with you!"

"Just imagine: we could both be Chasers for the Gryffindor team. Oh! Or beaters! I can hear them announcing." He switched to his 'announcer voice' which sounded an awful lot like Ron. "There's the Potter twins. They swung around this person and that person, then, Score! Twenty points for Gryffindor!"

Mina's laugh rang out like bells through the back wing of the Manor. "What if I want to be a seeker?" she asked with mirth in her eyes.

"And split up the famous Potter twins?!" he asked incredulously.

They laughed about their made-up fame all the way back to Jamie's bedroom where he brought out a large trunk from underneath his bed. The box was filled to the brim with toys. Mina wanted to turn back out and read a book on something practical that would help her with her mission, but the hopeful look on his face reminded her of something very important. She was a part of a war since she was eleven. She lost her childhood to Voldemort, but now she had a second chance. She had a chance to be a kid, to not care about being the top in her class, and to be free.

Mina picked out a witch with lovely maroon robes and edgy, spiked blonde hair. In turn, Jamie pulled a figure of a dashing Quidditch player from the English national team. A miniature Peruvian Vipertooth rose out of the trunk, and spit out cold flames toward the red and white robes of the Quidditch player. Thus, their game of capture the dragon began.

Little did she realize, Mina was using the play time to tell Jamie the truths she never thought she would be able to tell him. They used the newly captured dragon to escape Gringotts with a beautiful golden cup, they battled a big snake to save a girl, they saved a prisoner and a magnificent hippogriff, and they gathered an army to defeat an evil wizard. Jamie loved her imagination and with their spunky witch and quidditch player they were able to defeat anything that dared challenge the. Over their year before Hogwarts, Jamie and Mina often sat down and played out her past adventures, and she came to peace with her future through her times just playing with Jamie on the quidditch rug on his bedroom floor.

"Bedtime!" Pimsy would announce, popping into the room, scaring the two children. Then, slowly they would pack up the toys and drag their feet as they got ready for bed.

However, one night in February, a few months after Mina became a Potter, Jamie crept through the halls towards Minie's room. He had woken up in a thin sheet of sweat to the dark walls of his bedroom with the images from his nightmare still flashing behind his lids. He saw Minie and his parents dead and a scary snake-faced man was following him. He woke up as the evil wizard stuck his wand out with a curse on his tongue ready for young James.

The walk down the hall only provided to frighten Jamie more. Every shadow felt like another evil wizard was going to jump out behind him. When he finally made it to his sister's room, he let out a sigh of relief. Gently creaking the door open, he peered inside cautiously.

Against the white sheets was Minie. She was shaking and occasionally thrashing against her blankets.

The sight pushed away Jamie's dream, and he padded up to his sister quietly and began to rouse her. "Minie. Minie," he urgently whispered.

She shot straight up, her wild hair matching the look in her eyes. Realization of her surroundings slowly dawned on her, and she turned to her concerned brother. "What's the matter, Jamie?" she asked quietly.

"I had a nightmare," he said simply.

"Me too," she said with a wary smile. "How about you curl up with me? I'll tell you about my dream, and you can tell me about yours," she offered.

"Scoot over," Jamie demanded as he climbed onto her bed. Once he was situated, he snuggled under the covers and began telling her about his dream. "You, dad, and mum were all inside, and I was playing Quidditch. Then, it started raining, so I came inside- the lights were out so I couldn't see. When I got to the library, you all were dead." He paused, sniffled, then continued, "There was a scary looking guy with a snake face in the room. I ran, but he kept following me. I woke up when he cornered me."

Mina was shocked. James was dreaming about Voldemort- not that she would tell him that. But what scared her the most, was how creepily accurate the dream was. Voldemort did find older James when he was trying to hide, and his family was dead first. However, Jamie was ten, and needed comfort, not the warning of a time traveler. "I think," she began, "we need to give him a new name. It makes him less scary. Maybe Snakey?"

Jamie giggled, so she continued. "Well, Snakey needs to get his noseless face out of your dreams, because mum, dad, and I are very much alive. We have the power of noses to defeat him. He will die of jealousy just looking at our perfect nostrils," she proclaimed, silent laughter lacing her tone. It felt wonderful to make fun of Voldemort where he was currently no danger to her or her family.

Once Jamie's giggles quieted down, he asked, "What was your dream about?"

Mina went silent for a moment thinking back on her nightmare. She was running from Greyback and Bellatrix, but after every corner she would turn they would be there: Greyback breathing heavily and sickeningly licking his lips, and Bellatrix sharpening her cursed blade. She only woke up when Jamie pulled her away from Bellatrix carving into her forearm. "I was being chased too," she explained, trying to leave as much truth as possible, "An angry curly haired witch and a nasty man were chasing me. The got to me and the woman was going to cut me with an awful looking knife."

Jamie had a contemplative look on his face as he analyzed her dream. "Well, we can call the witch Crazy and call the man Assface." They giggled at the rude word, then Jamie continued, a bit more seriously. "They'll never get you. You have me to protect you. And even though mum and dad look old, they're spry. Dad wouldn't let anyone hurt you," he said confidently, then added, "neither would I."

Mina pulled him into a back-breaking hug and whispered, "Thank you."

"It's what brother's do," he replied softly. It made Mina reminisce about the days when Harry and Ron were her brothers, but she quickly drug herself back to the present and cuddled up next to Jamie. She promised herself then that she would not let the boy in her arms die. She was Mina Potter, and she would be damned if someone told her she couldn't do something. There was no way old Snakey was coming anywhere near her baby brother.

They fell asleep like that, curled up in each other's arms. The next morning, Euphemia came in, frantic that James was not in his room, but stopped upon seeing her two children fast asleep in an embrace. She couldn't help but stand there for a minute, just watching the rise and fall of their chests as they slept. She was going to bark at them for not being awake for breakfast, but upon seeing the two angels, she knew she couldn't get mad over one missed breakfast. Instead, she summoned a camera and snapped a quick picture before silently retreating from the room to show Fleamont.

The two children slept better than had ever that night.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I sadly don't own Harry Potter or its characters. That said, I do own my original plot and would be very put out if someone stole it.**_

 **26 March, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

"JAMIE!" Mina shouted from down the hall. "BREAKFAST!"

A sort of routine settled over the Potter house since Mina's arrival. They would wake for family breakfast, eat in the dining room, then split off for lessons. In the morning, Mina was with Euphemia and James was with Fleamont. Mina would practice becoming a proper pureblood lady- the beginning of the lesson consisting of practical manners and social customs, then the second half would be family history. James on the other hand was learning the delicacies of becoming the Heir and basic spells- with an emphasis on how they work.

Around noon the family would have an informal lunch. Usually Fleamont would eat in his office while catching up on research or news, and Euphemia would eat with the kids in the garden- granted the weather permitted. They would have a short break, usually enough time for Mina to read a few chapters of her many books and for James to practice new Quidditch moves. Then, their second lesson began. Mina would would have a brief lesson on the family's holdings and properties, then focus primarily on inventing with Fleamont. James would have etiquette (Mina was surprised too) and either dancing or literature lessons with Euphemia. Usually Mina would join James on his final dance of the day, and the pair became fairly good dancers.

At the end of lessons, there was a break which James and Mina usually used to play in his room, then they would go to family dinner. After a delicious meal, they would be set free to practice Quidditch until the sun set. During the harsh winter months, they were forced inside, but quickly learned that, in forced conditions, their invented games can be just as entertaining. Their favorite being vampires where they would use strawberry jam for blood and would chase the house elves around as if they were poor, unsuspecting villagers. Then, before they would go to bed, they would play with James' toys and recreate Mina's previous adventures. Finally, they would snuggle into bed, usually only to end up curled up together by midnight.

However, this day was special. It was the day Mina was going to be introduced to the other Pureblood ladies at he first tea party. But first, she needed to get Jamie out of his bed before mum got irritated. It seemed that Euphemia did not enjoy the afternoon tea parties, and she had grown more and more on edge all week. She explained to Mina that there would be quite a bit of questions about her. After all, for ten years the ladies had not heard about Euphemia and Fleamont having a daughter, so they built a story and were hoping that it held up under the scrutiny of nosy Pureblood ladies.

Mina had enough and trudged into James' messy bedroom. The walls were painted a stormy blue, not that anyone could see it from underneath the Quidditch posters strewn all over the walls. The furniture was a dark walnut that nearly matched her's except there was Quidditch players flying up the posts and no curtain surrounding the bed. He also had bookshelves, but they were filled with more memorabilia than books. But, they both had identical Hogwarts trunks at the end of their bed. Jamie would never admit it to anyone, but when he was alone, he would pack his trunk to go to Hogwarts. As messy as he seemed, the room was nearly pristine and when he did pack his trunk, it was meticulously organized.

Such a difference from his future son.

Mina sneakily crept up onto his bed, then began bouncing and squealing, "Jamie! Jamie! Jamie!"

He attempted to cover his ears from her wakeup call, but he could do nothing about the bouncing. Finally he gave in. Peaking from underneath his pillow, he snapped, "What?!"

She settled down and plopped next to him. "Tomorrow is our birthday!" she said with an excited twinkle in her eye. She knew this would get him up- after all, what almost-eleven-year-old would not get excited over their birthday. What she didn't foresee was being pushed off the bed in his excitement. She fell to the floor with a great thump and groaned, "Jamie!"

He, however, was already out of the door, racing to breakfast, leaving his sister on the floor with an irritated disposition. She grumbled as she got up and slowly made her way to the dining room, silently cursing her little brother's name. When she arrived, he was chatting happily with Fleamont, and her mum looked at her with a questioning eyebrow as to her tardiness. She gave a brief look to Jamie, then rubbed her backside, and Euphemia nodded in understanding, returning to her ritualistic reading of the Daily Prophet.

Once they had all finished, Euphemia called a family meeting. She wanted to make sure the entire family was clear on Mina's backstory and what was going on today. She only let Fleamont and James leave after they both recited the plan, then promised that they would hide and not speak as much as possible. Once they had scurried out of the room, Euphemia turned her attention to Mina. A smile spread across her face and she explained, "There are few things good about these frivolous teas, but the one bright side is dressing up." A devious twinkle was in her silver eyes. Before Mina could say anything, a group of witches came into the room, a load of hair and makeup products in tow. She gave a desperate look towards her mother, but Euphemia only waved her off and added, "If they're too busy oogling at your gorgeous looks, they'll have less questions."

For the next hour, Mina had her hair twisted and pinned into a cascading bun on the back of her head. They plucked at her eyebrows, plumped her lashes, and blushed her cheeks. After the ordeal was over, she looked into a mirror to see an entirely different girl than she expected. This girl looking back at her was aristocratic. She had delicately arching brows, her cheekbones were high and defined. Her lashes were dark and long which perfectly framed her chocolate eyes. Her posture was impeccable. And her shiny black curls fell down her back like a waterfall. She looked like royalty. "Wow" was all she could mutter, but there was no more time for staring at her reflection, Euphemia was already walking her over to a dressing rack.

"Now," the older woman began. "This is just afternoon tea, so we can't get too dressy, but I think this blue one is just dazzling enough to say 'my daughter is prettier than yours'." Euphemia gave her a bright smile that said everything. Despite her nervousness, Lady Potter was ecstatic to show off her new daughter.

~oo00oo~

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Black," Mina said with her nicest smile and curtsied.

Druella Black eyed her as if she was about to steal her fortune and take her husband. The woman inspecting her was tall, lean, and had piercing aquamarine eyes. She held herself like self-proclaimed royalty, and sneered down her long thin nose at all of the other ladies. Her robes were traditional- like those of Minerva McGonagall, but laden with jewels. He kept her three daughters close behind her as if they were misbehaving puppies.

Bellatrix looked as if she was forced into the dark, burgundy, knee length dress she was wearing. Though, despite her insane nature in the future, she was stunning in 1971. Her long black hair was pinned back from her face and fell in ringlets down her back. She was thin, but curvy, and she had a brilliant smile as she laughed with her youngest sister, showing off a shining diamond ring. Narcissa looked very much like a smaller version of her future self. She was thin and her blonde hair flowed like waves in the light breeze. Her pointed features were softened with youth, and she looked care-free. Her older sister, Andromeda, on the other hand, looked like she was being dragged to her own personal hell. Andromeda's light hair was pulled up into a knot on the top of her head which only drew attention to the frown on her face. She was sat upon a bench close, but far enough away from her siblings to attempt to ignore them.

Turning her attention back to Druella, she made meaningless small talk, and kept to the backstory they had created.

"It is a shame I haven't gotten to meet you before. I had to be kept away from the family for a long time due to Dragon Pox."

"Yes, I will be joining Narcissa at Hogwarts this coming year."

"I am very lucky that the Potter family had many good healers in their midst."

"Bellatrix's ring does look lovely."

The conversation was boring at best as Mina commented occasionally through Euphemia and her sister's battle. It was clear that they were both trying to show one another that their own daughter was the best, and neither seemed to be winning anytime soon. So, Mina politely excused herself from the conversation and made her way over to the Black siblings. On her way to meeting Andromeda, Bellatrix stopped her with a cruel, twisted smile.

"You wouldn't last long at Hogwarts, little blood-traitor," she said warningly. Her sneer was reminiscent of the same woman that carved into her arm. It almost made Mina flinch, but instead, she decided she would be stronger this time around.

Mina leaned close to Bellatrix and whispered, "I'll remember that when I kill you." When she pulled back to see the look of horror and disgust on Bella's face. She smiled prettily, laughed, and flounced away towards Andromeda who would hopefully be better company.

"Mina Potter," she said with a small curtsy, then sat down next to the older girl.

Andromeda looked her over eerily like her mother, then replied with a smile, "Andromeda Black. It's a pleasure to meet anyone who can get that reaction out of Bella."

The two girls hit it off, and chatted happily despite their age difference. Andromeda found Mina to be thoughtful and wise for her age, and Mina thought Andromeda was just as pleasant as she used to be, but now with a hint more rebellion.

After half an hour of talking, Euphemia must have finished verbally sparing with her sister- and won by the look on her face- and she came to drag Mina around to meet the other families. Mina curtsied, smiled, and made small talk like a perfect daughter as she met the Greengrass, Parkinson, Abbott, and Selwyn families. However, the conversation was not forced with the Prewetts and the Longbottoms. Molly was much less overbearing when she only had one child, and her mother gushed with joy over Euphemia getting her daughter at last. Lady Longbottom was just as overbearing as Neville would say, but she had an air of power that said she was a fighter. Her mother let her talk to Mrs. Longbottom longer than the rest of the ladies, but after twenty minutes they announced their departure.

They already planned Mina's backstory, and part of keeping up the act was acting as if Mina still had a bit more recovery time left and needed to rest. Little did the stuck up ladies know, but as soon as the ladies left, Mina and Euphemia would gossip about everything they found out, then Mina would play a game of Quidditch with James when he realized all of the snotty ladies were gone.

It was a good day, but not nearly as fun as the day after.

~oo00oo~

 **27 March, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

"Happy Birthday!" Jamie shouted, falling into Mina's bed and pulling her from a pleasant dream about flying around Hogwarts. Her brother snuggled up with her, but with was clear from his entrance that having a lazy day napping in bed next to his sister was not his ideal birthday. He was nearly vibrating with excitement.

"Jamie?" Mina asked hesitantly. She had been worrying about this day for a while, and she needed to get it out of the way before she could be properly excited.

"Yeah?" he said warily. His birthday had always been the highlight of his years, and her tone made him think she may be giving him bad news- which was not something for birthdays.

"You know you don't have to act like it's my birthday too. It is your day-"

He shut her statement down with a glare. "It is your day too. We're twins. Mum and dad said so. I don't care when you were actually born. This is your birthday now," he announced sternly. Jamie trying to be serious was usually funny, but at this moment he looked very much like the son of Euphemia, and therefore not someone to be trifled with.

"Are you sure you're not mad?"

Jamie's stern face melted into his normal goofy grin. "Of course not!" he said incredulously. "Now, I have someone to play with when dad gets me a new broom. They might even let us go to Diagon Alley! Plus, it's like double the toys! Whatever you get, I get to play with too!" he chirped excitedly, "Now, let's get down to breakfast. Mum always lets me have cake for breakfast on our birthday! I hope it's strawberry!"

He bounced off of her bed and waved for her to follow. She grumbled about insomnia, but pulled on her housecoat and followed her brother to breakfast.

"Happy Birthday!" Euphemia said brightly, greeting her children with a tight hug and kiss on the forehead. When she released them, Jamie and Mina had the chance to look around, and they both squealed simultaneously. The normally bare oak dining table was decorated with a yellow tablecloth and covered in their favorite foods. While Euphemia would venomously deny it, she was quite traditional and would only allow her children one day a year to 'eat like commoners' and have cake for breakfast.

Pimsy out-did herself with two beautiful cakes- one chocolate and one strawberry, five plates of various pastries, a chocolate fondue fountain, and bowls of cut up fruit scattering the table. The elf would never tell her Mistress, but Jamie's birthday breakfast was always her favorite day- she could truly spoil him, and now she had double the children to pamper. She loved it.

James and Mina ignored decorum, and filled themselves with sweets like they were starving. James was used to Pimsy's overindulgence and happily loaded his plate a meter high, but Mina couldn't help but gape at the extravagance she hadn't really notice since her first day at Potter Manor. She should feel bad about the amount of work Pimsy put into the birthday breakfast, but she couldn't pull herself into guilt while she ate the most delicious birthday cake she had ever had.

"Pimsy!" she called after she finished her first piece.

The quirky elf appeared with a load pop. Her ears had flour smudges as did the small apron she wore, but her eyes were bright with joy. "Yes, young Mistress?"

Mina couldn't help herself. She got up and wrapped Pimsy in a loving hug. The little elf did not look shocked, she merely adorned a motherly smile and patted Mina on her back. "Thank you! This is the best birthday ever," Mina gushed, pulling back out of the hug with a radiant grin.

Pimsy matched her smile. "Pimsy is glad young Miss likes her breakfast, but Pimsy is not done," the little elf announced with a smirk. Knowing Mina's aversion to being doted upon, Pimsy promptly popped back into the kitchen before Mina could begin her protests.

Knowing that there was no way to make Pimsy stop, Mina dived back into her breakfast. Only when Mina and James were near-comatose from fondue and the table was almost empty did Euphemia call for their attention, dabbing with a napkin a small bit of frosting from the corner of her mouth.

"I think we could all use a bit of rest. So, either play chess or take a little nap, and we will reconvene in the drawing room at noon."

~oo00oo~

James, surprisingly, slumped back to his bed without hesitation. Mina, on the other hand, was hyper from the sugar and took the time to curl up on her favorite bench seat and continue her research on glamour charms.

When noon did roll around, Mina had nearly finished _The Magick of Illusions._ James popped into her room with a drowsy grin on his face to remind her that she couldn't read on their birthday until they at least opened presents. With an amused smile, she raced him to the drawing room where they skidded to a stop in front of a literal pile of presents.

James, ever the pampered child, ran head-first into the presents- sorting the pile into three distinct, smaller piles: his, Mina's, and shared. His pile was larger, more Quidditch shaped, and he ripped the paper off with childish glee. Her's was smaller, but filled with a variety of shapes, and she tore open the gifts with care- piling the wrapping paper neatly beside her. The differences in the Potter twins was most apparent in that moment. Mina was thanking their parents after every gift and delicately handling every present. James, however, shredded the paper like a wild animal and decided to thank his parents at the end with one big hug.

James, as predicted, received a new broom ("A Thunderbolt III," he said in awe at least nineteen times that day), another broom servicing kit, his very own set of real Quidditch balls, a number of action figures of his favorite players, a burgundy knit blanket with quaffles bouncing around the edges (Pimsy's lovely doing), and a load of new clothes from Euphemia. His favorite gift had been his very own Puddlemere United jersey which caused him to promptly shed his own jumper and don himself blue and gold.

Mina was overwhelmed by the amount of kindness in the presents Euphemia and Fleamont had given her. She now own six books that would have been in the restricted section if Hogwarts even had them, a soft, silvery-blue knit reading blanket with her name stitched in the corner (also thanks to Pimsy), an assortment of silver hair clips, a beautiful Phoenix feather quill, and a set of jewels from the Potter vault. The jewelry was easily the most expensive gift she had ever received in her entire life, but despite her normal nature, she couldn't pull herself to tell Euphemia- who was grinning brilliantly and Fleamont- who smiled with loving warmth in his eyes, that she couldn't accept their gift. Instead, she gazed at the set- a white gold necklace with small diamonds inlayed all the way around, matching diamond earrings, and a diamond and opal tennis brace- and thanked them with a crushing hug.

James managed to wait patiently as she sorted through her presents, but the second she released their parents from her hug, he dragged her toward the 'shared' pile. She followed his lead, ripping into the wrapped boxes with childish glee. They squealed after they saw that Mina too received a broom- A Nimbus 1300- so they could finally play Quidditch together. They were overjoyed to find that they received even more figurines to play with- this time three more dragons and an assortment of witches. But, the best present of all was a new owl with a note saying they were in store for a Diagon Alley trip to go Hogwarts shopping. It was a bit early compared to Mina's past experiences, but she knew how much James was dying to go to Hogwarts, so she found herself bouncing with excitement next to him.

 _ **A.N. Despite how easy and fun to write this story is, it is being put on a temporary hold while I revise and finish Faults and Prejudices. I honestly can't juggle 3 stories at once. So, if anyone reading this likes Dramione and wants to beta, I would jump with glee for some help.**_

 ** _I hope everyone is having a terrific week filled with good food and friends._**


	5. Chapter 5

_**I don't own Harry Potter.**_

 **27 March, 1971**

 **Diagon Alley**

Diagon Alley was a vision. Sure, she had been there plenty of times before, but there was something about being there as a child about to go to Hogwarts all over again that was special. Mina's eleven-year old eyes whirled as she watched the sewing machines stitch inside of Madam Malkin's, quills dancing in the window of Scribbulus', and owls clucking un the rooftop of Eeylops Owl Emporium. Besides for the strange lack of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, it was exactly how she remembered it. Suddenly, she was pulled out of her reverie by Jamie grabbing her hand, pulling her towards Flourish and Blotts excitedly gabbering, "mum is letting us get out books early! She says it's important to study ahead. We can start learning charms and transfiguration and potions!"

She grinned as he drug her into the bookshop with their parents following with amused expressions at James' excitement. He continued to babble about anything he knew of Hogwarts while they picked out Jamies' school books. "Aren't you getting any Minnie?" Jamie inquired, turning to Mina, after his mother picked up only a single copy of Standard Book of Spells Grade 1.

"I already have a set," she explained, remembering Euphemia's excuse she was to give. "Mum gave me a family set." She was incredibly grateful for the gullibleness of children, because any adult would have asked why James, the eldest and only biological child, didn't receive the family books.

James instead just smiled and reassured her that if those old stuffy books were out of date, she could borrow his. He softly added 'I probably wouldn't read them anyway' under his breath where he believed Fleamont couldn't hear him, but Mina noticed the sparkle in the old man's eyes that said he had heard.

After getting James' books, they family headed over to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Both children were sized for plain black robes, five pairs- because according to Euphemia three pairs were simply too little. They were also measured for a standard black winter cloak and a pointed hat, which according to both Euphemia and Mina, was out of style hundreds of years ago and was a stupid practice. James kept telling anyone who would listen that he was going to be in Gryffindor, so there was no use in making everything back when they should add the red and gold now. To make his point, he insisted that he wanted a Gryffindor tie, and Fleamont easily agreed- to the disapproval of his wife- too happy that his son shared his own house pride.

While Fleamont and James oogled over a section of Gryffindor inspired jumpers, Euphemia chatted softly with Mina while picking up their gloves. "You do know that we do not expect you to be in Gryffindor?" Euphemia said, noticing Mina's reluctance to join in on the house pride.

"I know," Mina whispered back, mustering a smile. In all actuality, she loved Gryffindor and wanted more than anything to buy the burgundy jumper with a prowling lion walking along the hem. However, she knew that in order to keep herself from accidentally disrupting the time line, she needed to distance herself from her former house. She was going to be years ahead of all of her peers, and the best house to cover up her intelligence was Ravenclaw.

Euphemia, catching on to her line of thought, remarked, "I think you were destine to be a Ravenclaw. After all, why would Pimsy do your entire room in nothing but blue?"

The small encouragement helped brighten Mina's mood. She decided to turn her thoughts to the positive aspects of a different house. Maybe she would finally know what it would have been like if the Sorting hat put her in Ravenclaw her first year. She would finally be normal, not the only book-lover. Ravenclaw certainly got along better with the other houses than Gryffindor, so it was easier to not draw the attentions of Slytherins who would turn into Death Eaters. She decided that maybe not being in Gryffindor wasn't so bad. Maybe she would survive it.

James, naturally, didn't notice her lack of Gryffindor bravado, and continued to chat away about his destiny as star chaser and world-class prankster. They stopped by Potage's for their cauldrons, the apothecary for potion ingredients, and Wiseacre's for everything else. They would get their new wands just before school as the temptation was too high.

Fleamont, after they walked out of the Wizarding Equipment shop, suggested they go out to eat for Mina and James' final present. Both children were delighted with the idea and nearly skipped to the Leaky Cauldron. The family huddled into a small corner table chattering away merrily only stopping to have their order taken. They were the picture of a perfect family. Euphemia's grace managed to make the dank corner of the pub look like the height of fine dining. Her lavendar robes fell perfectly at her sides, her hair was flawless in a twist at the base of her neck, and her aging face was lit up in a dazzling smile. Fleamont looked the part of a proper elderly man with his subtle burgundy robes pressed just right, and his wrinkles crinkling in the perfect face of content joy. The two children were sitting at the table with impeccable manners, enjoying a story from their mother about her youth. Only a well trained eye could see the nearly undetectable way each member of the family sat in a way to protect the girl. All the while, Mina's eyes were glancing around the pub at acceptably average levels checking for any potential danger to her family.

Not more than five minutes after they got their food, danger arrived in the form of a stuffy, arrogant couple and their children.

Orion Black was a man of very few words. He enjoyed aged liquors and spent most of his day in his office 'handling business'. He had thick salt and pepper black hair with equally dark onyx eyes. He seemed to have a bit of a stomach on him due to his age, but his formal grey robes covered them well. The wrinkles on his pale, aristocratic face said he was usually in a state of displeasure. Then, there was Walburga. His wife's nose couldn't have been further in the air if she was looking at the sky. Her deep emerald robes buttoned into a high collar decorated in jewels which complimented her severe bun that pulled her face back so far to remove wrinkles. Her grey eyes were the same shade as her silver hair, and they were filled with bitterness. Walburga was the type of woman who was centre of her gossip ring, and perfected the art of both complimenting and insulting others in the same sentence. She held soirees for charities she couldn't care less about, and had the family tree of every pureblooded family memorized. Their two sons, who were about nine and eleven, were dressed in formal robes and carried a slight sneer on their faces. They both had well-groomed jet black hair, stormy grey eyes, and The youngest was following their father with precise imitation, obviously admiring the elder man. The eldest son seemed to be grimacing more at the actions of his family than the onlookers he was suppose to look down upon. The whole family reeked of old money and status, and they were headed straight for the Potters.

Mina had been secretly scanning the room since they had arrived at the pub, hoping that she would not encounter anyone that would pose harm to her family. She had also been making observations of those around her to take in any information that may help with her mission. For instance, she knew that the bartender had quite a crush on the brunette beauty that owned Sugarplum's. A man by the name Diggory, most likely Amos's father, was bragging that his son had just become a prefect, and the elder Longbottom man, Frank's father, was in an accident at work which managed to put him in St. Mungo's for a week. Mina was almost too wrapped up in her family's conversation and her secret snooping that she almost didn't catch the Black's walking in. Luckily for her, she caught sight of them in time to give her mother a warning look.

Euphemia was slightly vexed by the strange look Mina was giving her. Her daughter's eyes were slightly widened and kept flicking from her to another place in the pub. Understanding that she was to look somewhere, but not understanding why, the elderly woman slyly glanced toward the rest of the pub when her eyes fell immediately upon her daughter's worries. Poor timing, however, lead to Walburga's eyes falling upon the Potter's table, and Euphemia let out a tired sigh as Walburga pulled her family towards confrontation.

"Good afternoon, Euphemia, your family seems to have grown. I wasn't aware a child could be born nearly of age," Walburga greeted, a wicked smirk on her face like a cat that caught a canary. However, the Lady Black was not aware of just who she decided to insult.

"Oh, Walburga, I'd like for you to meet my daughter, Mina," Euphemia greeted with a sickeningly sweet smile, displaying Mina. "She has been away from the public because she has been sick for some time, but I'm so happy someone has come along that was in a similar situation. I'm so glad your better now, I'd love to see you at my next charity ball."

Walburga's face flamed at the insult sunk in. After a minute, she turned to Orion who had managed to keep a blank face, but a trained eye could see amusement behind his cold eyes. He preferred to look down at the inferiors and not interact with them, but his wife has a penchant for getting into confrontation. Walburga turned back to Euphemia, destain burning in her eyes through her seemingly polite visage. "Is it another charity balls for your beloved mudbloods?" she sneered.

Euphemia's tinkling laugh that followed was like nails on a chalkboard to Walburga. "Oh how lovely it would be to have as simple of a mind that you do," Lady Potter sighed prettily. If you weren't paying attention to the words, it may seem as if she was replying to a very good joke from her dear friend. Walburga, as close-mindedly prejudiced as she was, was not quite so dim, and her face turned an unflattering puce colour. Her hand twitched towards her wand, but she knew that no amount of money would be able to free her from an Azkaban sentence if she was to follow through with her current train of thought.

The dear Lady Black had been too consumed with her own humiliation at the hands of Lady Potter to notice her eldest son. The young Sirius Black was looking up at Euphemia with nothing less than hero worship sparkling in his grey eyes. Euphemia missed nothing, however, and while pleased that she had gained an admirer, she knew of Walburga's parenting practices from the other society ladies and did not want the young lad to face his mother's rage. So, before Walburga could figure out a quip, Lady Potter dismissed their family. "While it was **truly** a _pleasure_ to see your family. Mine own needs to get home."

Walburga Black was clearly not happy she was essentially being dismissed like a pesky peasant. Lord Black was glaring daggers and Fleamont who returned his hatred in a pleasant smile and stone cold eyes. While Fleamont Potter was not a man of violence, he did not stand on the wayside if someone attacked his family, and that was clear in his stoney eyes. James was intrigued with the sons of the Black family. As a child that rarely had the opportunity to play with others, James had a small hope that one of the boys would want to be friends, and he found his answer in Sirius Black. The oldest son looked up at him and gave him a dazzling smile which he returned- the promise of friendship on the horizon. 'Your mum is awesome!' Sirius Black mouthed to him, and he only grinned back, but nodded subtly.

After a round of silent communication in which Mina and Regulus looked around at their family with a mixture of amusement and concern, giving each other only a brief glance, the Blacks stormed out of the Leaky Cauldron. Euphemia and Fleamont let out a breath, the tension in their shoulders falling as the confrontation slammed the entrance doors. James was grinning like today was truly the best day of his life, and Mina observed her family warily hoping nothing bad came out of the interaction.

"It was so amazing! Mum really stuck it to that old bat! Dad was just glaring at Lord Black, but he looked like they were going to fight! Everything got so much better when you came along! It was so boring before you got here!" James rambled happily as he bounced up and down on Mina's bed. "Did you see that boy? He seemed really cool and he thought mum was awesome too! I hope he comes to Hogwarts with us! Oh! What if we're all sorted into the same house? We could be like the Trio of Troubadours!"

Mina beamed up at James. His excitement was infectious, and his simplistic views of life gave Mina hope that she could maybe make his world as wonderful as his younger self thought it was. She had to admit, it was a pretty great day and Euphemia out witted Walburga with the perfection that mum always carried with her. She didn't want to ruin his mood, but she had a question that had nagged at her all day long. "Jamie, what if we aren't in the same house?"

The young boy just looked at her with a perplexed face. He didn't seem to find anything to worry about, and didn't understand her constant need to analyze everything. "If by some weird occurrence you aren't in Gryffindor," he began, rolling his eyes as if she said 'What if I had three tentacles?', "I'll just sneak in your dorm and we'll develop telepathy so we can talk to each other from separate tables." He was completely serious, and Mina held back a laugh.

"So, if I was in Ravenclaw, you'd just tell me the password to Gryffindor?" she enquired, testing his loyalty.

"Of course," he replied simply, as if she wasn't asking him to break a school rule for her.

"Okay," she said with a grin, happy that her brother was willing to go to lengths to see her every day even if she wasn't in his house.

"Now, did you see dad glaring at Orion?"

They analyzed every bit of the conversation with childish glee, and determined that Walburga was a secretly a hag, Orion had a drinking problem, Regulus was obviously the obedient child, and Sirius Black was their new best friend.

Pimsy finally came in, an hour after normal as a treat, and told them to go to bed. James reluctantly scampered off to his own room with Pimsy pinching his bottom anytime he moved too slow. Mina snuggled deep into her covers and fell into the best sleep she had in a long time.

 **1 July, 1971**

 **Potter Manor Library**

"Miiiiiiiinie," James whined sporting his best pouty face.

"Fine," Mina huffed, closing her book delicately and placing it back on her 'currently reading' shelf.

The Potter twins had been reading for the past three months. Upon receiving their school books for their birthday, James began learning everything he could before Hogwarts. He had whizzed through his Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense text books, going so far as to star things he wanted to learn more about, however, History of Magic and Potions were not his favorites and he struggled to make it more than two pages through his books without losing his attention. Mina, on the other hand, had already read the textbooks a long time ago. She refreshed herself on all the material, but after a month, she began to disguise her research books as textbooks to make James think she was studying just as hard as he was.

However, even the excitement of Hogwarts couldn't hold James in a chair that long. By the middle of June, he was bugging Mina to play Quidditch or action figures. She had successfully gotten a two more weeks out of him by insisting he finish at least Potions before they revert back to playing all day. It had worked, but his impatience shown through and irritated her to no end. She finally gave in once she knew he was mostly finished with his Potion's textbook. They had only been playing for an hour or two a day, and she had to remind herself that he was just eleven, and she should be grateful she got three months of patience out of him.

Mina watched Jamie's face as he slowly realized that she actually agreed. His pouty face stayed for a few moments longer than normal, and once her answer sank in, his face lit up into a smile of childish joy. He immediately jumped up and shoved his book back into its place haphazardly, then turned on the spot and gave her an expectant look.

She grinned at him and yelled, "Race you to the Quidditch pitch!" as she tore though the manor towards the back gardens.

Grinning wildly, he took off after her, nearly catching her, but he didn't realize he was racing a war heroine who was completely fine with jumping over a root last minute knowing that he would fall into her trap. And fall he did, right on his face. She laughed and kept running while he spluttered, but still got back up with determination. She still won, but barely, and according to Jamie she cheated.

"You had and head start and you tripped me!" he exclaimed with an exasperated tone, but she knew he wasn't upset at all because he was too happy to be outside.

They played for three hours. Mina had improved significantly since her first lesson. She seemed to have beaten her fear of heights, zooming after James no matter how fast or high he went. That day, he had deemed her finally skilled enough to play with the Bludgers. At first, the strange, violent balls scared her, but upon getting hit with one and realizing it was a practice ball made of plushy material, she avoided them, but the fear associated with them was eradicated.

"Jamie! Catch!" Mina called as she hurled the Quaffle across the pitch to her brother.

James was too busy doing flips and generally showing off to immediately notice. He happened to glance up at the ball as it began falling to the ground, on instinct, he shot after it, not seeing the tree branch that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Smash!

"James!" Mina screamed, diving for his falling body. She grabbed for the wand that was not at her side. Absolute fear gripped her soul as her brother tumbled to the ground, his broom flying toward the house. Mina was inches away from grabbing his hand, when he hit the ground with a crack.

Landing swiftly she ran to his side while shouting for their mother. Scanning his still form she noticed his arm bending at a very wrong angle. She yelled for their mother again until she could hear her mother and father's footsteps.

"What happened?" Euphemia screeched.

"He hit a tree branch and fell. I couldn't get to him," Mina sobbed. Euphemia put a comforting hand on her daughter's back while Fleamont levitated James gently towards the house.

"Let's get him to St. Mungo's."

 _ **A.N. This is a Happy Birthday present to myself.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello lovelies! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember that I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own my own characters and plot, because if I don't write this I could get sued- and I'm poor. Enjoy!**_

Mina sat next to James' hospital bed as the healer gave her brother a multitude of different potions. A pain potion to dull the ache of his broken arm and rib. A vitamin potion to make sure he was healthy while his bones healed. A tiny shot of skelegrow to regrow bone between his newly aligned bones. And a calming draught for Mina because she was so worried about her brother.

Euphemia and Fleamont talked quietly with the healer about care instructions at home. While they were worried when Mina screamed for them, they had calmed just as they had done with every other bones James had managed to break. Mina, on the other hand, was being pacified by James. He had to remind her over and over that it was not her fault, and he was perfectly fine.

"I've broken at least five bones before this, and you don't see mum and dad freaking out," James assuaged.

Mina looked over to her adoptive parents talking with another healer in the corner. Her worries bubbled to the surface. "What if mum is mad and they kick me out?"

A laugh erupted from James' previously solemn figure. He was nearly doubled over as he tried to talk through his humor. "Mum...will be...more...mad at...me," he managed between bouts of giggles. Mina could only stare at him as he seemingly broke down with mirth at the very thought that Euphemia was angry with her. The point was only emphasized by Lady Potter walking over to Mina, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder, and asking, "What am I going to do with him? He'll break a rib at this pace!"

Seeing Euphemia's relaxed demeanor, Mina reflected back on the situation. She shouldn't have doubted her new mother's personality, but somewhere deep inside herself, Mina still doubted her place in the Potter family. She had been welcomed with open arms, and although she was not treated the same as James, it was more so because she was nearly twenty and Euphemia and Fleamont knew that. Memories of Harry flooded her mind. The boy without parents. The boy who lived with his abusive aunt and uncle and still managed to save the world. She wanted nothing more than to make sure he had parents, but inside she knew that disrupting the time line could end even more lives, and she felt horrible for even thinking about letting her Jamie die so that the time line would remain the same. That horrible thought was what made her question her place among the Potters. Only knowing that Euphemia would want a response made Mina shove the train of thought to the back of her mind to inevitably be stewed over another day.

"Are you sure he wasn't dropped on his head as a baby?" Mina joked.

Euphemia looked at her and smiled, her eyes crinkling with suppressed laughter. "Fleamont was always rather clumsy. Who knows what happened on those few nights he was alone with baby James."

James, finally calming down, did his best to glare at his mum and sister, but eventually, the whole family was giggling over James' youngest years.

"There was this one time when James was three and decided that he was going to find Merlin," Fleamont began while Euphemia was finishing up the release paperwork, "he snuck into the broom shed dressed in his nicest robes, and he took my broom, not knowing how to work it. Needless to say, he was drug a hundred feet by the broom- not letting go for some reason- and he ended up coming into my study, his clothes torn and mud everywhere, and very seriously asked if I knew Merlin's floo." Mina was leaning on a nearby chair for support as she broke down, tears streaking down her face while she laughed hard enough to hurt. James was more amused at Mina's state of being than his embarrassing childhood story. He was pleased his sister was back to her normal self. He was never quite sure how to make her understand that she was family now, as he had no idea why she didn't see herself in that way.

Before Fleamont could conjure up another story that would put Mina in stitches, the nurse walked over with Euphemia and announced that James was free to go. His arm was healed, and besides for a few lingering sore spots, he was good as new. As he leapt out of the hospital bed, a stupid grin on his face, the nurse added, "No Quidditch for a week. The bone is still a bit weak." James' smile sagged. Evidently, the eleven-year-old thought he would be flying around by tomorrow morning, and disappointment radiated out of him.

Seeing her brother's downtrodden expression, Mina skipped beside him and started planning activities for their next week. "When we get home, how about we start out prank plans for Hogwarts? We can look into some books in the library. I'm thinking that we could go into the laundry and transfigure the house crests to randomly switch. Or maybe find a time-limited aging potion, so everyone would go to class looking like old people. Then, we can finish our vampire hunting mission. I want to be an animagus this time," she rambled on until his smile returned. No time had passed before he joined in on the discussion, and they were playfully arguing over who would play what part in their imaginary mission.

Their conversation continued as the left St. Mungo's a flooed home. All the while, Fleamont and Euphemia trailed behind watching the two children with adoration. "I think she is just what our family needed. I am so glad James isn't alone anymore," Euphemia whispered to her husband, her eyes still taking in the giggles of her son who had been so disappointed minutes before.

"I will be forever grateful to whoever brought her to us. I just hope that we can be what she needs also," Fleamont replied.

"I hope so too," Euphemia sighed, and turned her attention back to the children that were happily scampering down the hallway to their rooms. When they were out of sight, she turned back to her husband. "I have a feeling those two are going to bring a lot of trouble, but somehow I don't mind."

"Agreed."

~oo00oo~

 **21 August, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

"James Potter!" Mina screamed, twisting away from the ball that nearly her in the face.

The two twins were playing Quidditch again. They had not missed a single day playing since James was cleared to be on a broom again. His reasoning was that as first years, they were not allowed a broom, so they needed to compensate for future time lost. As much as Mina loved playing with her beloved brother, she did not share the sense of urgency, and did not feel the need to play the game every single day. Currently, it was the first day they began playing with normal game balls, and Mina was terrified of the Bludgers. James, as per usual, was having the time of his life and failed to see what was so bad about the "flying concussions" as Mina dubbed them.

"Minie! You have a bat! Hit them!" he urged her.

"Can't I just be seeker?" she whined.

"You need to learn to play any position! What do you think will happen when we bring Hogwarts friends over to play and we don't need a seeker?" he rationalized while he knocked away the Bludger that had previously been after Mina.

Mina let out a huff. He did have a point, but that didn't mean she liked it. "I thought we were going to be the twin chasers?" she pouted.

James looked unamused. Rarely did he get frustrated with Mina, but he took Quidditch very seriously, and he did not put up with her complaining. "We can't be the twin chasers if _one of us_ doesn't learn the other positions for practice."

She groaned, but knew he was right. Even though she was actually a lot older than he was, she had to admit that if she wanted to learn Quidditch, she would have to play by his rules. "Okay. Just go a bit slower. We don't need another hospital visit."

They hit the Bludger back and forth for a solid hour before the tinkling sounds of Euphemia's voice bid them inside. Sweaty and exhausted, they landed near the broomshed and put away their things, moaning about their aching limbs. Begrudgingly, they trooped inside to find their mother waiting just inside the backdoor. This was a strange occurrence as she would normally head back into her study while she waited for them to get cleaned up for dinner. So naturally, the twins were nervous with her uncharacteristic appearance. She, however, didn't appear ruffled as she waited for them to remove their dirty trainers.

"My dears," she began, "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

They looked at each other silently asking one another if there was any important birthday or holiday the next day. Neither of them appeared to know anything, so they both turned back to Euphemia and shrugged, "no."

Her smile brightened- happy to have a surprise for them. "We're going to Diagon Alley to get your wands!" she announced cheerfully.

James and Mina briefly shared a look to ask 'is she pulling one over on us?', but upon doing quick calculations in their head, they realized that school was indeed started very soon. James, naturally, was the most excited about the news and grabbed his mother into a tight embrace. "We're going? Really?" he asked, a massive grin covering his face.

"Of course! You two can't go to Hogwarts without wands. How preposterous!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Mina joined her brother in his celebratory squealing. They gave their mother another hug, then skipped off to their rooms to get cleaned up, yammering about getting wands the entire way.

Mina was ecstatic. Yes, she already had a wand, but this way she could have a second wand to use anywhere. Fleamont had already helped her find all the proper spells to deactivate the trace that may have been placed on her old wand after she had been de-aged, and now they were so close to being able to perform it.

The twins met back up in the hall after they were showered and dressed for dinner. They shared radiant grins and trotted down to their father's study to badger him before dinner. It was their fourth favorite past time behind studying magic, playing toys, and Quidditch.

"Dad?" James called while he swaggered into Fleamont's grand study. They found Fleamont sitting in his favorite reading chair near the window, his head back, snoring loudly. The twins crept closer, quietly to make sure he was alright without waking him- they would never tell anyone, but they were constantly concerned about the health of their elderly parents (Mina a bit more so than James). Seeing that Fleamont was merely taking a pre-dinner nap, they shared a mischievous smirk and snuck closer to his desk.

Mina, with her knowledge of the future knew of one very interesting item that James would come upon, and she found herself excited to see a glimpse of something familiar. Once they were crouched behind the large mahogany desk, they quickly checked that their father was still quite asleep, then proceeded to gently ease the bottom drawer open. All it took was one look to communicate their mutual decision to go for the bottom drawer first as they figured that the more interesting things would not need to be readily accessible. The drawer was open no more than a few centimeters, and Mina could already see the characteristic shimmer of the invisibility cloak. James was staring at the strange fabric with awe, probably equally amazed by both its look and the fact that they actually found something on their first guess.

The drawer was almost fully open when it squeaked, loudly. Fleamont's snores ended abruptly, and the twins looked at each other with panic glistening in their brown eyes. A quick plan formed in Mina's head. She shot James a look that said 'stay still and do as I say'. She stood up and found Fleamont looking at her oddly. "Father? I'm sorry to snoop, but I was looking for some red ink. I wanted to annotate my notes on my classes," she explained, a disarming smile graced her face. She lightly kicked James letting him know that he needed to flee from under the desk the way opposite her.

As Fleamont walked towards her, James scampered, surprisingly silently, out of Fleamont's office, shooting her a thankful smile. They both knew that Mina, as the newest kid and daughter, could get away with a lot more. When Fleamont was closer, she further explained, "I figured it wasn't often used, so I looked in the bottom drawer, but there's just funky fabric." Her smile was that of well practiced innocence, and she was pretty sure Fleamont saw right through her act, but something told her that he didn't care all that much.

When he was beside her, he flicked his wand and the door clicked shut and a silencing spell was placed over the room. He reverently picked up the cloak and explained, a knowing twinkle in his eye. "This here is an invisibility cloak. It has been passed down in the family ever since Iolanthe Peverell married Hardwin Potter. It is the only true invisibility cloak I know of, and no one outside of the family is to know about the cloak."

"Is Iolanthe, by chance, a descendant of Ignotus Peverell?" Mina asked knowingly.

Fleamont grinned. "I see you know a bit more about this cloak than I thought. It's nice to know that it lasts." He seemed to think a bit while gently appraising her. "Normally the cloak is passed to the oldest child, however, I find myself in a bind with twins," he began, his eyes twinkling. "Your knowledge of the cloak tells me that in the future I gave it to James, but with you here I am less apt to trust my wild child with such an important piece of family history when I have an older child that is much more responsible. I will have to discuss it with Euphemia, but I am thinking that the cloak will be yours as you are the oldest child, but it can be loaned to James so that the future can proceed as normal."

Mina was dumbfounded. It never occurred to her that the cloak may ever be hers. She had been the Potter's 'child' for a little less than a year while James is both the male heir and biological child. Seeing her conflict Fleamont explained further. "I know that you probably don't think that it should be yours, but even though you feel like you're new to the Potter family, we have known about you and loved you well before you arrived. We knew about you before James. I remember the day like it was yesterday." His face morphed into a lazy grin as he relived the obviously joyous memory. "Euphemia and I were walking out of St. Mungo's, and your mother and I were disheartened by the news we received. We had been trying to have children for a year and finally decided to see a doctor, only to hear that we would most likely never be blessed with children. It seemed that Euphemia was not a fertile as we assumed. She was crying, and I sat her down at a bench outside to comfort her. A Seer stopped by us, her hair was the whitest blond I'd ever seen, and she was completely blind, but she stared at your mother with a dreamy expression and said, 'You will have two. Twins. An older girl and a rowdy boy.' She laid a hand on your mother's forehead, as if blessing her, then walked away without another word. Those words got us through the many years of trying and failing. When James came along, a long while later, we had been overjoyed. We had forgotten about the little girl that woman had predicted. But once James could talk and incessantly reminded us that he wanted a sibling, we remembered. That's when we knew that out little girl would be special. Your mother made a room for you and told James every time he asked that you were a bit different, but one day his sister would come to us."

Tears had built up in the elderly man's eyes. He looked at Mina as if she was the most precious thing he had ever beheld, and for once, Mina understood. She felt as if she was drowning in love. During her life as Hermione Granger, she had known that her parents loved her as their dear only child, but the Potter's had loved her long before she even came into their lives. That kind of devotion was incomprehensible to Mina. "I love you, daddy," she said, squeezing him as if to cement herself at his side.

"I love you too. So much."

They embraced until the tears dried. "Now," Fleamont began again, smiling down at her, "Will you accept the family responsibility over the invisibility cloak?"

"Yes," she said, grinning wildly.

"Now I know that you are planning on placing yourself in Ravenclaw, but please make sure James can reach you. I know he will put on a brave face, but he will need you more than you know. Even after a year, I don't think he could handle it if you left."

"I will," Mina promised. "I will make sure that he can get to the cloak as well. He will need it for a few escapades," she winked knowingly.

Fleamont chuckled and shook his head. "Gryffindor is losing a truly fine mischief maker."

"You of all people should know it's best that I don't draw attention to myself," Mina reminded her father.

"I know," he sighed, his brightened face momentarily dimming. Fleamont wished that his daughter didn't have to hide herself. He understood her need to stay out of the public eye, but he wished that she could shine with her full potential. He had to remind himself that they would make sure that she would have a childhood this time around. Euphemia had spoken to Dumbledore a week after Mina had found them, and the headmaster told Euphemia of a girl that showed up covered in scars with war in her eyes.

Fleamont pushed his troubled thoughts to the back of his mind to discuss with his wife at the end of the day and brought back his happiest smile. "Use the cloak to prank your brother when his head gets too big. You have my blessing," he said, winking.

"Will do," Mina grinned like a thief.

~oo00oo~

 **22 August, 1971**

 **Diagon Alley- Ollivanders**

The twins were practically vibrating with excitement when they entered Ollivanders. Euphemia and Fleamont smiled down at their children as they entered the shop to the delicate chime of bells.

"Goodmorning!" a voice called from a backroom somewhere behind the rows and rows of shelves that held thousands of wands stuffed and packed anywhere they could fit. The entire shop had an air of anticipation as if all of the wands were silently pleading to be held. The dark paneling and orange glow of the dusty chandelier made the cramped room smaller for the family of four that was crowding around the small counter.

Garrick Ollivander looked just he had in 1991 when Hermione received her first wand. He popped his head out of a doorway in the back, then meandered up to the front to greet the Potters. He had wild, white hair and silvery eyes, shining with unspoken intelligence. He gait was somewhat uneven, and his pale limbs were knobbly, but he grinned and greeted his guests in typical fashion. "Fleamont Potter," he greeted, turning his piercing eyes on their father. "Walnut, Unicorn tail hair, thirteen and a half, unyeilding," then turned to their mother, "Euphemia Rosier, Cherry with a dragon heartstring, ten and three quarters, slightly bendy."

Fleamont merely chuckled and quipped, "I am surprised! What was I, your fourth wand?"

Ollivander's eyes lit with amusement. "Seventh actually. What took you so long to come back?"

Fleamont let out a hearty laugh. "Of course you would remember. As for my lateness, these two decided that they wanted parents that were a bit past their prime. May I present Mina and James Potter," he said, lightly pushing Mina and James forward.

Ollivander's silvery eyes shifted to the twins, and his magical tape measure came zipping out of his pocket, scaring them half to death before it began its job wrapping and twisting around their surprised forms. Ollivander looked up to their mother briefly and joked, "What made you marry this old chap? It couldn't possibly be his looks!"

Euphemia's light laughter filled the small shop. "I wonder myself sometimes," she replied with a smirk and genially nudged her grinning husband.

James and Mina were watching the scene with rapt attention. It wasn't often that they were able to witness their parents joking around with others, and even as the tape measure poked and prodded them, they kept their focus on their parents until Mr. Ollivander's eyes were back on them.

When tape measure was done invading their personal space, it curled back into Ollivander's palm, and he stared at them unseeing, his mind turning with possibilities. Without notice, the old man dashed down aisles and plucked wand boxes from precariously tipped stacks and packed shelves. He shuffled back to the two children with five wand boxes in his thin arms, and he was grinning like a madman. "I wasn't quite sure about this little lady," he announced, motioning to Mina and the stack of four wands he made on the counter. He pulled an intricately carved wand out of the first box. "Blackthorn, dragon heartstring, nine and three quarters, bending." It had vines crawling up the dark handle, but the second it was placed in Mina's palm, it felt immanently wrong. The wand sputtered and let off a foul smoke of displeasure. The wand was instantly plucked out of her hand and a sleek medium wood was in its place. "Cypress, Phoenix feather core, ten inches, unyielding."

Mina was pretty sure she was hallucinating, but the wand felt as if it was sticking up its nose to her. She wasn't sure if a wand could be snobbish, but this one certainly was. Realizing all eyes were on her, she brandished the wand and waved it unenthusiastically. It nearly knocked over the nearest two shelves, and was immediately removed by Ollivander who was muttering, "No, no. I should have know with that one."

The third wand was familiar, in fact, it was _her_ wand. She was so panicked that she may alter the future by being given Hermione's wand, she didn't even notice it give out a weak sputter, which had the wand promptly removed from her hand. She looked at her parents, panic in her eyes, while Ollivander continued to mutter under his breath, "I was so sure of this one. Maybe another day." While the elderly man unpacked the final wand, she let out a shaky breath to calm herself. She decided to push the event to the back of her mind to be though upon later when she was alone, and she turned back to Ollivander just in time for him to push a final wand into her hand.

The last wand was like no other. It was a medium golden color, obviously old, and it had a line of small, nearly unnoticeable, runes burned down its smooth surface. From her past knowledge of ancient runes, she read, 'Destiny intertwined with life and death'. Power flowed down her arm and connected to her heart like a trail of fire. It felt as if the wand was marking her. "Yew, fourteen inches, Thestral tail hair, swishy. This is the last wand I have that was made by my grandfather, Gerbold Octavius Ollivander. He said that this wand had a special destiny," Ollivander said, his eyes knowing.

With a flick of her wrist, a bright molten gold circle surrounded her, sealing her bond to the wand. As the circle faded, it shot inward and branded a thin gold band on the tip of the wand. The burning coming from the wand faded into a comforting warmth, and she turned to her parents carefully blank faces with a bright grin on her face. She stepped back inbetween their still forms to give room to James. Her father squeezed her shoulder which said that they would be meeting later that night to discuss what was happening, and they turned their full attention to Mr. Ollivander.

"Congratulations!" Ollivander said brightly, the same concern in her parents eyes matching the under tone of his seemingly chirpy tone. He then turned his attention to James who was in awe at his sister's display.

The first wand, a long, knobbly spruce, nearly shot out of James' hand and poked his eye out. Ollivander quickly removed the wand from this grasp, shoved it back into a box, and trekked down an aisle nearest the door. When he returned, he turned back to James, holding a lone wand box.

Pulling the wand out of the box with a flourish of his hand, Ollivander presented James with a clean cut oak wand.

James waved the wand around, but there was no spark. Just as quickly as he had come, Ollivander snatched up the dud and left, off exploring for a new wand. James cast a worried glance back to his family, but was pulled out of his self-doubt by Ollivander trotting back toward them, a triumphant smile on his wrinkly face.

The old man popped the lid off of the box and presented James with a lovely red colored wand that matched their father's desk in both wood and elegance. The end was carved into a handsome bulb that rippled down until the wand was just smooth, polish wood. James' face lit up when it was placed into his eager, outstretched hand. "Mahogany, eleven inches, Phoenix feather core, pliable."

With a swish, bright, diamond-like sparks shot out of the end and surrounded young James. The family sighed in relief. Luckily, James had not really noticed the unusual experience surround his sister's wand, and was too overwhelmed by his own wand to take note of Mina's worried look and their parents tense expression. They paid Ollivander and bit him a quick goodbye, then flooed home.

Euphemia had the good sense to confiscate their wands before the house was accidentally burned to the ground. This briefly deflated James' good mood, but when his sister offered to play Quidditch, he bounced off the the back yard yammering on about bludger injuries.

~oo00oo~

Later that night, Mina crept into her father's office. He was inspecting her new wand with her old vinewood wand resting close by on his large desk, his reading glasses sitting at the end of his long nose. He looked up when the door creaked closed, and he offered her a weak smile.

She sat down on the edge of a large squashy chair across on the other side of his desk, nervous. "What does this mean?" she asked quietly.

His eyes pooled with sadness, and he let out a breathy chuckle. "It means that you're even more special than we thought you were," he replied. Fleamont looked back down his nose at the wand in his hand. It radiated old power. Anyone with a knowledge of runes could see the promise burned down the side. The piece of wood felt like it was carved by death itself. "I have never seen a wand like this," Fleamont admitted. "I think it predicts the circumstances for which you came here."

Mina understood. She had come from the future with the life and death of hundreds of people at her fingertips, and this wand would be the tool which she used to wield that power. She was honestly surprised that Ollivander was willing to sell her the wand. " _He_ has a yew wand," she stated simply.

Fleamont's face hardened. "You will not be like him!" he roared. "You are _my_ daughter, and you are not like him!"

Mina stared at her father. It was the first time she had ever heard him raised his voice at her, and it scared her. He was normally a quaint, quirky old man, but in front of her was an angry, frightened father.

Fleamont saw the fear in his daughter's eyes and let out a sigh. He softened his gaze and spoke, "We will continue with the plan. Tomorrow we will strip the other wand." He took a deep breath, then whispered, "I don't want to lose you."

Mina's heart melted. She moved to the other side of Fleamont's desk to hug her elderly father. Sweeping him into a tight embrace, she quietly replied, "You might, but I will make this world a better place, so you can be proud."

Fleamont let out a small sob, and the father and daughter stayed in a tight embrace until the tears dried. When he pulled away, he rested his palm on Mina's cheek. "Go to bed. We will work on your wand tomorrow."

Mina could only nod. She pulled him into another brief, tight embrace, then left the warmth of her father's study where he would sit up all night staring at her wand.

As she silently shut the large oak door to the office, a small voice came from the shadows. "Will you be alright?"

She immediately tensed, readying herself against the voice and inspected the hallway. Jamie was in his snitch pajamas, a few paces from her, looking scared as he stepped out of a dark shadow into the light of a moonlit window. Mina perceptibly relaxed and pulled James into her arms. "I don't know," she replied, almost to quietly for hearing.

They slept together for the rest of the week, taking comfort in having one another close by when they knew that very soon that comfort would be gone.

 _ **A.N./ Well this was long- both in wait time and length. I hope this fills the void the last month without an update made. And as always, review with comments and criticisms. I read them all even if I don't reply.**_

 _ **-Speaking of which: This fan fiction does not update regularly. I don't make money from this, which means that it can only be written in my free time which varies. I am not going to get hurt if you want to wait to read a completed fan fiction.**_

 _ **Last notice: Mina is not the nice, rule-abiding girl that Hermione was. Mina kills Bellatrix, and she's not crying over it. If you want a sweet, kind girl as a female lead, this is not your story. I am a firm believer that people change with experience. War and time travel hardened Hermione into Mina- she is changed, so please do not expect the girl who cried over Ron at the Yule ball.**_

 _ **I hope you all have a wondertastic week!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello all! I hope May has been treating you all well. A boring reminder that I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm still paying off student loans. I hope you enjoy the train ride!**_

The train station was just as she remembered it.

The week after the twins went to Diagon Alley for their wands passed by in a rush of Quidditch games, family board games, packing, and repacking.

Mina couldn't decide what books to pack, and Fleamont was actually concerned that she would fill up her already magically extended trunk with nothing but books. Euphemia managed to get her daughter to cut her library back to only her needed school books and a few for light reading by reminding her daughter that Hogwarts did have a library and when in doubt, she could owl home for a book.

James had already had his Hogwarts trunk packed for an unreasonably long time, but at the last minute, he decided that he needed to take his stuffed dragon, Red. He had to rearrange his entire trunk so that Red could sit comfortably at the very bottom of the trunk (so that none of the other boys would see), and it took him an hour to make his trunk organized again.

When they arrived at Kings Cross, James was overwhelmed. He had rarely been able to venture out into the Muggle world, and his head was swiveling to look at anything of interest as the Potters herded him toward the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Unlike Hermione's first time crossing over onto the platform, Mina and James happily hurled themselves toward the brick barrier and came out running and giggling onto the other side, their parents in tow.

Euphemia and Fleamont watched their children like all of the other parents of first years. They were holding back tears as their baby birds went off to school for the first time. It was both a relief and their greatest fear. However, unlike other parents, they had a time traveling daughter that had already gone through her education and could guide and watch over their reckless son. Mina's experience gave the Potters a small amount of reassurance that their son would not completely fall apart while he was away.

The Potters gathered in for hugs and goodbyes as the train's whistle signaled ten minutes to departure. Mina had found love and comfort in Potter Manor, and she was the most reluctant to leave the warm embrace of her parents. After all, she had witnessed the death dear friends within the castle, and she wasn't looking forward to seeing them in every hall she walked. James was eager to make friends and finally get out of the house, but his nervousness showed through as he made his mum promise to send goodies every week and write every other day.

When the last hug was finally given, the twins turned toward the giant, red train. Steam was billowing from the engine, covering the platform in a thin mist. _Hogwarts Express_ gleamed in polished gold along the side and beckoned the twins toward their next great adventure. They politely weaved through the other students loitering around talking to their friends and finally found a compartment that appeared empty, however, upon entering, they found that there was indeed another occupant.

When Mina saw the face of a young Sirius Black looking up at her- a mix of hope and fear in his dark eyes- a bit of her shook. It induced a slight change in her. It was as if a tiny piece of her soul was knocked into place, and she was just a bit closer to being complete. She could see in Sirius' eyes that he felt the same. James, on the other hand, did not notice the look shared between his beloved sister and his future best mate. His eyes lit up upon seeing the familiar boy, somehow knowing that they would be the best of friends. The brief moment shared between Mina and Sirius was broken, and they turned their attention back to James who basked in the attention.

"Hello, I'm James Potter," James introduced himself, holding his hand out with a confidence rarely seen amongst adults. He was smiling brightly, and Mina knew that James could see no other outcome besides the boy becoming his best friend.

Sirius barely hesitated before taking Jamie's hand an announcing, "I'm Sirius Black." His accent spoke words for his upbringing. It was entirely foreign to Mina. He carried himself very much as a heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black. His hair fell an inch below his ears and was perfectly groomed. His cheekbones were high, he was certainly handsome even as an eleven year old. His posture was obviously forced into looking casual. His dragonhide boots and finely stitched black robes spoke volumes of his wealth. The only thing that told her that this boy was Sirius Black was his goofy grin which clashed with his look of noble arrogance.

Both boys found themselves grinning at each other with wide smiles that held a lifetime of mischief. Mina felt quite honoured to have witnessed such a monumental moment.

Releasing Sirius' hand, James turned towards Mina and proudly said, "This is my twin, Mina Potter."

Mina smiled, both at Sirius and at James' introduction. He really did love adding Potter- to him it cemented her as his. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," Mina said, shaking Sirius' still outstretched hand.

Sirius' eyes sparkled deviously before he bowed and said, "Sirius Black. At your service, milady" with a wink before delicately kissing the top of her hand. It was not hard to see how this eleven year old aristocrat would steal the hearts of so many girls in the coming years.

Mina didn't want to, but her eleven year old hormones got to her, and she giggled at Sirius' antics. James merely gave the boy a soft glare in an act of brotherly protection. Sirius gave her one last boyish grin before dropping her hand and turning back to James.

The three children worked together to stuff Mina and James' trunks into the compartment. When the train whistled a final time, James wrenched open the window, and Mina joined him as they waved off to their parents one last time. When the train began moving, they closed the window, then turned back to their friend who was rearranging his features to hide his sadness.

James, ever the oblivious boy, went straight into a conversation about Quidditch, asking- no- demanding to know what team Sirius supported because that was clearly the most important thing in determining friendship. The hint of sadness began to recede from Sirius' eyes as he got more into the conversation about Puddlemere and why they were the clear choice for the championship. Mina's attention was drawn elsewhere when she heard a thud followed by an 'ow!' outside of the compartment door.

When she politely excused herself, James gave her a worried look, but she fended off his protectiveness with an easy smile and told him that she just wanted to look around. If only James knew that she was here to look after him.

Upon exiting the compartment, she found a young black haired boy and a red haired girl with their back to her- most likely first years due to their small statures- glaring at a larger boy. "You should pick on someone your own size," Mina said, walking up behind the two first years and glaring at the offending boy.

The large pug-faced kid narrowed his beady eyes at her. His large frame was already clad in his Hogwarts robes-Slytherin, and his hands were balled up in melon sized fists. He sneered at her, "What are you going to do about it, firstie?" There was something about the meaty boy that reminded Mina of Vincent Crabbe, and she wondered briefly if this kid was Crabbe Sr.

"What did we teach you about picking on first years?" came a voice behind Mina. The bully's eyes grew comically large as he took in the presence behind Mina. She turned in time to see two duplicates of the Weasley twins towering over her- not even noticing the retreat of Crabbe. They grinned down on her playfully. Mina's heart hurt a bit thinking of George, but she pushed it down and thanked the twins.

"No problem!" one of them replied. "I'm Fabian," he said, then gestured to his brother, "and this is my twin Gideon. We're the Prewett twins."

"I'm Mina Potter. One half of the Potter twins," she said.

They looked surprised, obviously used to being the only set of twins (after all, it's not terribly common), but their surprise was quickly turned to mischief. "Well," Fabian started. "We are about to graduate," Gideon said. "And Hogwarts always needs a good pranking force," Fabian finished with a grin.

Mina gave them her best smirk. "I'm sure you'll hear about us for years."

The twins' grins grew larger, happy to find another prankster. "We will keep your word on that, Mina Potter," Gideon said.

Mina thanked the twins again before realizing that she had yet to see the first years that she came here for. Turning back around, the pug-faced kid was gone, and the two she had defended were staring at her akin to awe. Mina blanched.

Before her was a smaller, thinner Severus Snape and what must have been Lily Evans.

Covering her emotions with Slytherin-like skill, she gave a smile and a wink to the two and said, "Nice to meet you. Mina Potter."

The first to respond was Lily. "Lily Evans," the young red-head said, shaking her hand.

"Severus Snape," the boy said, not taking her hand, but nodding politely- wariness in his eyes.

Severus Snape looked adorably small, but was overall, still as much the sneering professor that she had known. Lily. Lily was everything they said she would be. The small girl was pale, lightly freckled, and had bright red hair. Her hair was long and beautiful, oh, and her eyes. They were the exact replica of Harry's. She had an adorable gummy smile, and her small, lithe frame promised a beautiful woman in the future.

Mina was briefly speechless. She had mentally prepared for meeting the people she had known from the future, but sometimes all of the preparation in the world cannot prepare you for the real thing. "Where are you seated?" she managed to asked coherently, her face still arranged into a mask of easy comfort.

Lily smiled at her brightly and Severus still looked at her cautiously. "We're right over there. We just came out to look for the trolly lady. Severus had told me stories about Hogwarts and I wanted to see her," Lily chattered, pointing to a compartment near the one James and Sirius were in.

Mina smiled and began walking with the two toward their compartment and told them stories about Jamie. "He's determined that we're going to be the twin chasers of Gryffindor team," Mina said chuckling as they entered the empty compartment. Lily looked confused and Severus gave her a guarded look, then Mina saw her mistake. "Oh, Quidditch is a sport played on flying brooms. It's a lot like muggle soccer. Chasers score goals. Personally I don't care what house I'm in, but James wants to be just like dad and be a Gryffindor," Mina explained, hoping to have covered her mishap.

Severus relaxed a tad, and Lily looked excited. "Flying brooms!" she exclaimed. "I thought that was just in fairytales! Does Hogwarts teach us to fly? I didn't read any of that in Hogwarts: A History."

Severus finally spoke up. "We have lessons once a week this year, but first years aren't allowed on the Quidditch teams," he explained in a dull tone.

Mina gave him a bright smile, then asked a question she had been dying to know. "So, what house do you want to be in?" She had always wondered if Snape had wanted to be in Slytherin from the start or if he just embraced his circumstances.

Severus withdrew ever so slightly and his response was a near whisper. "Slytherin." Lily, however, did not hold back. "I think all of the houses would be fun. I'll probably be in Ravenclaw, but I want to stay with Sev," the young witch explained.

Mina saw her chance- ignoring any change to the time line- and took it. "To tell you the truth," she began and Lily lent in towards her, urging her to continue. "I think I want to be in Ravenclaw, which will upset Jamie, but I'm going to talk to Dumbledore and see if he will allow me into Gryffindor tower. That way I can always see Jamie. I'm not going to let us be separated."

Lily let out a girlish 'awwww!' and a glimmer of hope erupted in Snape's eyes. Mina felt off-balance seeing emotion on Snape's face, as all of her memories of him were of the much older spy who was a master occlumens and kept all of his thoughts far from view. Even though she knew the risks were great, Mina made a vow that she would make sure that Severus had happiness in his life- not just the fleeting happiness from his friendship with Lily that was cut short. "I feel like we're going to be good friends," Mina announced grinning at them both.

"What if we're not in the same house?" Snape asked softly.

Mina schooled her features into confusion. "Why would it matter if we weren't in the same house?" she asked. "I would hope our friendship wouldn't be affected by a rivalry between four dead people."

She could see the wheels turning in his head, and that was enough for Mina. She just needed him to be open to having friends from other houses, that way she could continue to influence him while they were at Hogwarts. It would also be advantageous for Mina to be friends with Lily, that way when the time came, she could nudge the girl into the arms of her brother. Mina needed to make sure Harry was born.

Mina rose from her seat across from Severus and Lily. "Well, I need to check back on my brother. Merlin knows how much trouble he's managed to cause," she joked.

"We'll see you at the sorting?" Lily asked, trying to cover the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Definitely," Mina grinned, then exited the compartment. She knew that Lily and Severus would need to confer about letting Mina in their little friendship. All she could do was hope that the two eleven year olds would accept her into their group. If she couldn't get close to the pair, then she wouldn't have as great of a grasp on the integrity of the timeline, and Mina didn't like to think of a world where Harry wasn't alive and only she knew of the horcruxes.

When Mina shut the sliding door and turned toward the compartment she shared with James, she was startled to find the boy himself in front of her looking relieved.

"Where were you? I got scared when you didn't come back after ten minutes," Jamie said, worrying on his lip exactly as she was known to do.

Mina took her twin into a small hug and lead him back to their compartment explaining, "I made some friends. Lily and Severus. Oh, did you know there are another set of twins here? They're in Gryffindor. Pranksters." She smiled brightly and found an identical grin on Jamie's face.

"We're going to be legendary pranksters!" Jamie exclaimed, then opened their compartment door, "Right Sirius?"

Sirius was startled out of a deep thought. He blushed slightly at the sight of Mina- which made her crazy- and asked James "What?"

James went off on to a long winded tale of the marauders- the pranksters of Hogwarts- and how they would take the school by storm. Sirius devoted his entire attention to it, chuckling at all of James' wild ideas, and did his best to ignore Mina's presence which seemed to make him feel odd. Mina added in a few comments about future pranks but was generally content to just listen to Jamie as she lounged on the floor with her head resting on the seat nearest Sirius. Absentmindedly, Sirius began to run his fingers through her curls which she didn't mention to him because it felt too good, and she didn't want him to stop.

They, of course, bought treats from the trolly lady. They sorted through the chocolate frog cards to find any they didn't have. Mina ate a few too many sugar quills, and Sirius bought a hoard of candy to make sure he had plenty at Hogwarts until winter. "We can't go to Hogsmeade until third year!" he reasoned.

A prefect came by an hour later to remind them to put on their robes in preparation for arriving at school. The two boys shamelessly stripped down to their underwear and changed which shocked Mina who turned bright red and quickly shuffled out of the compartment to stand among the other students in the walkway that were exiled. Once they were done, the boys got shooed out so Mina could change. They complained from the other side of the door that she was talking an outrageously long amount of time, to which she replied, "I can take longer!" which shut them up for a minute before they started up again.

Once they were all back in the carriage, they resumed their previous spots, and that is how the three future Marauders spent their first train ride: James was excitedly conversing with his new best friend and sister. Sirius was playing with Mina's hair while they both happily chatted about the near future.

 **Hogsmeade**

The train arrived at Hogsmeade station an hour and a half later. James was practically jumping up and down in anticipation as they made their way through the throng of students waiting for the Thestral lead carriages- not that any of them knew that. First years were taken to the boat docks by Hagrid, who merrily told the students stories about the Forbidden Forest and Black Lake.

"Did you know, that the forest has at least six herds of unicorns and a tribe of centaurs?" Hagrid's voice boomed as he walked the students to the docks- the students chattering about his claims and the mysterious sorting coming up.

When they arrived at the creaky old boat dock, it was near sunset, and the willow trees hung their branches low so that Hogwarts was covered from view. "Three to a boat!" the half giant announced, and all of the students scrambled to pair off with their friends.

At last, James and Mina were at Hogwarts, they grinned at each other- wild adventures playing across their eyes. When they turned their attention back towards Sirius, he was already standing in the boat, his arm outward. James walked up first, but Mina pushed forward. "Ladies first," she said, flouncing over to the boat and taking Sirius' outstretched hand.

"Oh, I'll get you for that," James said, stalking forward to the boat.

 _ **Next week we'll go back to Hogwarts! Thank you for all of your lovely reviews- if I don't reply know that I still see them all. As always, feel free to comment with comments, critiques, or criticisms. A quick shout out to my two lovely betas who organize my thoughts and pull me out of plot holes.**_

 _ **I hope you have a lovely week!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Happy Saturday! I hope you enjoy this addition. Remember that I don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy!**_

Mina, Sirius, and James crowded into one boat. James and Sirius thought it would be funny to rock the boat to try to scare Mina, their actions, however, immediately came to an end whenever she threatened to throw them to the squid. The threat was well timed as the Giant Squid decided to poke his huge head out of Black Lake to say hi to the incoming first years. James and Sirius were scared stiff and sat back down to quietly discuss if James' sister could communicate with animals.

Mina, while quietly amused, was taking in the view. Not many students had the chance to re-experience the boat ride in first year, and the nostalgia felt like a warm blanket wrapping around her and welcoming her home.

They trudged up to the entrance of the castle, the students either staring in silent awe or chittering anxiously with their friends as to what exactly sorting involved. Minerva came to greet the new students, and Mina had to restrain herself not to hug her old professor as a dear friend. McGonagall lead them to the doors outside of the Great Hall, leaving them there with Hagrid as she prepared for the sorting. Immediately the chattering erupted amongst the youngest students. Mina noticed a familiar sandy haired boy that stood away from the rest and appeared to be near a panic attack. Mina silently moved away from her brother, and made her way toward the younger Remus Lupin. He was startled and nearly jumped out of his skin when he finally saw her standing in front of him with a bright smile on her face. Not losing her smile at his terrified appearance, she held to her hand and said, "Hi! My name is Mina Potter. What house do you think you'll be in?"

He glanced at her hand apprehensively, but not seeing her going away any time soon, he took her hand and replied in a small voice, "Remus Lupin. I want to be in Gryffindor, but I'll probably be a Hufflepuff."

Not appearing put off at all like he expected, her smile lit brighter and she reassured him, "The hat puts you in the house you want. Someone I used to know was almost put in Slytherin because the hat thought he would do well there, but he wanted to be in Gryffindor, so the hat put him there. I think I want to be in Ravenclaw even though my whole family has been in Gryffindor."

Remus' stress seemed to deflate and a small smile graced his pale face thanks to the friendly girl who washed away all of his worries. He was about to tell her that being in Ravenclaw with her wouldn't be so bad, but a loud boy cut him off before he could begin.

"Minie! What are you doing over there?" The messy black haired boy yelled.

The pretty, curly haired witch Remus was talking to let out an exasperated sigh and told him, "Remus, that is my twin, James." She turned to her goofy, bespectacled twin and announced, "Jamie, this is my friend, Remus Lupin."

Remus eyed the boy as if James would suddenly scream out all of his secrets. To Remus' great surprise, the loud boy smiled brightly and shoved out his hand proudly. "Nice to meet you, Remus. Welcome to Minie's pack of misfits. She collects us with hopes to reform us into decent people," James joked, his sister lightly punching his arm and giving him an amused look.

Remus tentatively took his hand, and was greeted with warmth. It seemed that James was the source of constant fun, but Mina was the glue that kept him grounded. Hope bloomed in Remus' chest- hope that the two in front of him would actually become his friends.

James turned and introduced Remus to another black haired boy, however, this new boy looked both aristocratic with his high cheekbones and shining grey eyes and wild with his shaggy hair and messy robes. The new boy was tense, but he was trying to hide that beneath a relaxed air. Remus wasn't sure of the boy, until he was suddenly caught up in his monologue.

"I am the one and only Sirius Black- no need to bow. Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. Mild madness runs in the family, but I feel like it just makes us fun," the boy winked, then brought Remus into a side hug. "I have a good feeling we're going to be very good friends."

Before Sirius could make another dramatic display, McGonagall called them into the Great Hall.

They all stepped in, nervousness overtaking them all, Sirius included, and looked around with amazement. The ceiling glimmered with the stars from the night sky. Candles floated above the tables filled with riotous children, lighting the room in a warm, joyous glow. The older years were watching the sorting with anticipation, hoping to get more students for their own house. The Prewett twins, acting as replicas of the Weasley twins, were sneaking around the back of Gryffindor table to magically dye the Head Girl's hair green.

McGonagall pulled their attention away from the students and towards a beaten up old hat sitting upon a rickety wooden stool. A few of the first years looked at the hat with dread as if it was going to ask them test questions and if they didn't answer, they would be kicked out of Hogwarts. Mina stood calmly next to her brother, Sirius, and Remus while they waited for their names to be called after the hat's song.

"Minie?" James asked in a small voice for only her to hear. He seemed truly worried for the first time in a long time.

"Yeah?"

"What if I don't get into Gryffindor? What if we aren't in the same house?" He whispered.

A feeling of guilt washed over her. Mina knew she would have to be in Ravenclaw, so she would not interrupt the timeline, but in that moment she wanted nothing more than to say 'screw it all' and tell the hat to put her in Gryffindor so she could comfort Jamie. Rational thought won out. "If you don't get into Gryffindor, you'll definitely get into Ravenclaw. Imagine how happy mum will be if our colors were blue?" James giggled at his mother's obsession with Beauxbaton's school colors. "Plus, if we're not in the same house, we'll talk to Dumbledore so we can have the passwords to visit each other," Mina said in encouragement. She didn't know if it was possible, but she would protect Jamie at all costs, and if being able to see her was what he wanted, she would make sure of it. At that thought, James relaxed preceptively- enough to cheer on Sirius as he got sorted into Gryffindor, thus defying his family officially for the first time much to the boy's excitement and terror.

Remus was of course sent off to Gryffindor along with Lily Evans, Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, Mary Macdonald, and Peter Pettigrew. Bertram Aubrey, Avery, Mulciber, Evan Rosier, and Severus Snape were notable names sorted into Slytherin. Darlene Dippet, a small blonde girl with dreamy eyes named Pandora Fawley, George Goldstein, and Janice Knuttlebee were sorted into Ravenclaw. The only Hufflepuff Mina recognized was a girl named Alice Max that had short, spunky brown hair and a shy smile that was nearly identical to Neville Longbottom's. Then, the Potter twins were up to be sorted. James was first, and no sooner had the sorting hat touched his messy head, it called out, "Gryffindor!". As he walked to his new table, swagger back into his step, he turned to see his sister with the hat over her eyes, seeming taking much longer than his own sorting. Suddenly, he wasn't so happy with being a Gryffindor like his father before.

"Hello Ms. Potter, or is it Ms. Granger. I haven't had this happen before. Interesting. You were in Gryffindor before.. would you like to go back to your previous house, or maybe a challenge? Hmmmm. You have a mission here. I see your conflict. Stay with your brother to make him happy, but unsafe, or stay away and keep the timeline as it was. What do you chose, Ms. Potter? Ravenclaw or Gryffindor? You are certainly suitable for both. I haven't seen a mind like yours since a Mr. Tom-"

"Ravenclaw," she told the hat. Knowing that doing right was better in the long run than doing what was easy.

"Let it be….RAVENCLAW!" the hat announced to the Great Hall.

The Ravenclaw table cheered loudly and welcomed Mina with open arms, but she couldn't help but look back at her brother sitting where he wanted to be looking devastated. She mimed to him that they would talk after the meal. She had something planned. That raised his mood greatly, and they enjoyed the Headmaster's babble and the magnificent feast with the rest of the Hall.

Mina found herself sitting next to Pandora, and the young girl felt like an old friend. Pandora was slightly less dazed than her future daughter; she was quick witted, honest to a fault, and relaxed. They kept an easy conversation for the length of the feast. Pandora was not one to pry, so when Mina would clam up about a subject, she would easily move on to the next topic- something Mina was very grateful for. Occasionally, another Ravenclaw would join the discussion which left Mina knowing about half of the Ravenclaws by the end of the meal.

Darlene Dippet, one of her roommates, was a tad shy, but her love for Quidditch brought her out of her shell when Goldstein struck up conversation about the Scottish national team. She had wavy dark brown hair that flowed down her back. Her tanned skin spoke for just how long she stayed outside practicing. When she smiled, her crooked teeth seemed to make her light brown eyes just that much happier. Mina's other roommate was Janice Knuttlebee. The girl reminded Mina of Pavarti Patel in all but looks. Janice had short, tight black curls. Her dark skin gleamed under a mask of beauty products, and her dark eyes were lined in black. Mina wasn't sure who she would prefer: at least Pavarti had a little bit of bravery in her, Janice seemed to only be useful for gossip and makeup advice.

Mina had forgotten about both Quirrell and Xenophilius being in Ravenclaw. Quirrell was very shy and soft spoken. He isolated himself at the end of the table. His dusty hair had grown down to his ears and his skinny, pale frame seemed to shake while he read a book, ignoring the rest of the house. Xenophilius seemed to be just as quirky as he was in the future, but amongst the Ravenclaw's he thrived. He sat in a group of fellow third years while he explained his idea for a wrackspurt catching device, only his white-blonde hair visible.

After the feast, Dumbledore stood up to sing the school song, which felt a bit forced without Fred and George's funeral march, then dismissed the students to their dorms. Unlike the rest of the first years who obediently followed their prefects to their respective houses, Mina stopped by the staff table to discreetly ask Dumbledore for a meeting, then went to meet her brother after informing the Ravenclaw prefect, Darren Edgecomb, that she would have a professor show her the way. As the only one dressed in blue in a sea of red, Mina felt, not for the first time, isolated from her former house. "Jamie!" She called to get his attention. He turned away from his conversation with Sirius and Remus and beamed at her. He didn't rush to hug her like he normally would, but she understood that their childishness would stay at Potter Manor.

"Minie! What happened to being the twin chasers?" He whined in a seemingly joking manner for his friends, but she could tell he was actually upset that for the first time Hogwarts let him down.

Pulling him a bit from his friends, she whispered, "I have a meeting with Dumbledore. I'll get him to give me the passwords to Gryffindor. Ravenclaw doesn't have a password, just a riddle, so you can get in so long as you can answer it. But in the mean time, I'll figure something out."

He was obviously disappointed that she didn't have some grand plan to be in the same house, but it was something for now. She knew that she could use the Room of Requirement for a safe space, but she wanted to keep that secret her own for a while. She remembered the communication mirror that Sirius gave Harry, but she wasn't too sure where Sirius found the object, and asking him for it now was out of the question. The best she could do was have access to Gryffindor tower and make them communication coins like she had for DA meetings in fifth year. She would have to discuss possibilities with Dumbledore-or McGonagall, if she was allowed to tell her former mentor.

"I need to go, or we will never find the common room. Have you seen the moving stairs? How are we suppose to get around when they move so much?" He asked incredulously, stuffing his worry down.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out, Jamie. I'll see you tomorrow morning, and I will tell you how the meeting went." Unable to stop herself, she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, then walked towards the headmaster's office, calling back, "Goodnight Jamie. Happy Hogwarts."

"Goodnight, Minie. Happy Hogwarts," but his goodbye wasn't as enthusiastic as it was when they came up with the saying before bed last night.

The trip to Dumbledore's office was quiet, thankfully. Mina was grateful no one had questioned her familiarity with the castle or how she already knew where the headmaster's office was. Coming up to the gargoyle, she realized he had not given her the password to his office. Drawing upon her future knowledge, she started spouting sweet names. "Lemon Drops, Treacle Tart, Chocolate Frog, Acid pop, Sugar Quill-"

The gargoyle jumped to the side to reveal the spiral stairs leading up to his office. Ascending the stairs, she commended Albus' fine taste in sweets. Reaching the top of the stairs, Dumbledore was seated at his desk, already waiting.

"Good evening Ms. Potter. Lemon drop?"

Figuring she had always denied the treat, she decided to accept for once. "Thank you, sir," she said as she plucked a small yellow hard candy from the open bowl, and popped it into her mouth. Realizing her mistake, her face puckered with the sour lemon flavor. Albus let out a chuckle, and the sourness was slowly replaced by a pleasant, sugary lemon flavor. She made a silent vow to never make the same mistake again, and she took back her commendation on the Headmaster's taste in candy.

"Now, what do you require assistance with today?" Professor Dumbledore asked genially.

Suddenly feeling a bit childish about her request, Mina spoke quietly, "I was wondering if I could receive the passwords to Gryffindor tower."

"You are aware that if you wanted to return to your former house, the sorting hat would put you there?" The old wizard asked with a small smile.

"Yes, but I need to stay away from the people who will show up in my future, and so I asked the hat to put me in Ravenclaw. I am asking because James and I want to be able to visit each other. I also need to be able to keep an eye on certain events in Gryffindor."

Understanding dawned over Albus' face. "I see. I am sure something can be worked out with the staff- very rarely are twins separated at Hogwarts," he said, a mischievous spark behind his half moon glasses. He looked as if he was ready to leave the conversation there and dismiss her, but Mina had one more request burning in her mind.

"Can Professor McGonagall know?" She asked hurriedly before he could send her away.

He studied her for a few seconds as if to question whether or not she was worthy of Minvera's acquaintance, then he sighed and thought about the request. Mina knew it was a risk to let more people know, but she trusted McGonagall even beyond Dumbledore. There was just something special about the old transfiguration professor that made Mina trust her implicitly. When the Headmaster saw this trust in Mina's eyes, he decided that she would most likely confide in Minerva whether he liked it or not, sighing, he responded, "Tell her, but remember the dangers of time travel. She mustn't know the future."

Mina beamed up at him, happy she had gotten all of her wishes.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Mina said as she stood to leave. Right before she was about to say goodnight, she felt a small tickle in her mind. She turned toward Dumbledore, all friendliness drained from her face, and spoke quietly, "I would not do that if I were you. You may come across something you don't want to find." It was a threat.

Mina knew that although Albus Dumbledore was an amazing leader, powerful wizard, and a generally good person, his curiosity and ambition were his faults. If Albus knew the future, he may be tempted by the power that came with that knowledge, and Mina could not allow him to destroy himself. So, the first year girl stared at him with much older eyes that reminded the old wizard of just who he was dealing with.

Albus' presence in her mind fell away, and she silently walked down the spiral stairs, not caring to reply to his half-hearted "Goodnight".

Mina found herself alone in a quiet, empty castle. Memories threatened to bubble out of the box in her mind that she labeled 'horrible times'. To distract herself, she focused her entire attention towards getting to McGonagall's quarters undetected. She pulled out her wand, checked that she was indeed alone, then cast a disillusionment charm on herself and a muffling charm on her shoes. Silent as the night, she crept to her mentor's rooms. She had a few close calls both on a moving staircase that nearly knocked her off in front of a prefect when it decided to move as she was on the last step and with Peeves zooming passed her to catch a first year and nearly knocking into her- or rather through her. When she made it to Minerva's quarters she sagged onto the floor in relief. She wasn't too sure where her mentor's rooms would be in 1971, so she was in luck when she saw McGonagall entering them right as she walked up.

Waiting until the door closed, she finally removed her disillusionment and muffling charms, waited ten seconds, then knocked on the door. Unlike many other students who would be nearly pissing themselves at the mere thought of disturbing the Deputy Headmistress, Mina knew that Minerva was a caring, motherly woman who would never get angry at a student if they needed her.

Barely a second had passed and the door was opened to reveal the Transfiguration professor still in her teaching robes looking puzzled. She was obviously confused at the presence of a student when the term had not yet begun. "Can I help you?" McGonagall asked, her brow furrowed.

Mina gave her best disarming smile and introduced herself. "My name is Mina Potter. I was just sorted into Ravenclaw. I was wondering if I could speak with you privately."

McGonagall gave her a stern but questioning once over while she tried to figure out if Mina was indeed in need or if she was daring enough to attempt a prank before classes had begun. Finding no malice in Mina's carefully placed features, Minerva stepped to the side to allow entrance into her private chambers.

Mina had only seen her mentor's quarters twice, and it seemed that McGonagall's taste had stayed relatively the same. The professor's private rooms were the size of a decent sized London flat. They opened into a comfortable sitting room with rose patterned couches and stately end tables that all faced an ornately carved hearth which was crackling with life. There was a large painting of a finely manicured lawn that lead to a small but grand, white manor. Mina knew this to be the Ross family home that had long since fell into disrepair after Minerva's maternal grandfather's death. There were few decorations, but those that were there stood out. A large vase of flowers rested on the coffee table holding a beautiful bouquet of lilies. A small wooden box that had carvings of cats slinking down the sides sat on the mantel as a small token of the man she almost married. Finally, there was a tapestry that hung beside the door with a landscape of the forbidden forest woven into it- nibbling unicorns and all.

There was a small indented reading nook the sitting room which held two floor to ceiling book cases stuffed to the brim with books, a small table, a floor lamp, and a large, red wing-backed chair for reading. Mina hoped that she could get on good enough terms with McGonagall in this era to be able to sit in that chair and read one of her many books. It was like a small piece of heaven.

The sitting room led into a modest kitchen which was a light mossy green with simple oak cabinets and a small window above the sink looking out onto the school grounds. Inside the kitchen was a breakfast nook with seating for four. In classic McGonagall style, the table was always set as if a full feast would be served shortly on her dainty white china.

Down a small hall across from the kitchen was the door to Minerva's bedroom and washroom. Mina had never seen the inside of either of those rooms, but she knew that the professor needed some spaces solely to herself, and she respected her privacy.

Minerva led Mina to sit on a loveseat closest to fire while she brewed some tea. Mina took the time to organize her thoughts. She had not fully prepared herself to meet McGonagall tonight, so she had not meticulously rehearsed what she would say, and in the situation of revealing that she was a time traveler, she needed to have a flawless explanation for anything lest she be labeled as a mad woman.

All too soon, Minerva came back in to the sitting room with a tray of tea and biscuits which she laid delicately on the coffee table before sitting across from Mina in a plush chair.

"I am very sorry for intruding, but the matter that I've come here to discuss is of great importance," Mina began, carefully selecting every word. It would not do well for her to sound uneducated if she was claiming to have already completed her education. Seeing the her mentor was still willing to listen, she continued, "I arrived here nearly a year ago from the year 1998."

Minerva's eyebrows rose in initial shock, then her face hardened. The older woman was about to kick Mina out of her chambers for wasting her time and playing a tasteless joke, but Mina hastily continued. "I have already spoken to Dumbledore who gave me permission to tell you. You can ask him for verification if this doesn't convince you." She then pulled the tarnished time turner out from under her school robes, its brilliant diamond sand glinting in the fire light. Seeing that her professor was weighing the possibility of her claim, she further explained. "I was nineteen when I found a time turner with a note telling me to turn it back twenty eight turns. Once I landed here, Albus found me a place with the Potter family where they performed a blood adoption to protect me. I chose to tell you this because in my past, you are the person I would trust most with my life."

~oo00oo~

Minerva McGonagall's day had just gotten a lot crazier than expected. A small little first year had somehow found her private quarters, then started claiming that she was from twenty seven years in the future. What had been a typical sorting day turned into a massive headache. She had initially wanted to tell the girl to scamper off back to her dorm, but something about the raven haired girl made her listen.

When the girl, Mina Potter, had begun to make wild claims, Minerva had almost kicked her out and called the Headmaster, but then she saw the time turner. Minerva didn't need an unspeakable to tell her that the particularly old time turner that was in front of her was exceptional. She had only ever seen one other time turner in her lifetime and this one was certainly unique. Minerva McGonagall had been an overachiever in her days at Hogwarts and had used one to get to her many classes. It had been much smaller and polished. The one she had used for classes had what appeared as normal white sand in it, not the shimmering diamonds in front of her. Looking away from the memory of her past, Minerva focused her gaze on the child in front of her.

If Mina was telling the truth, the girl was in great danger, and she trusted Minerva a great deal to reveal her secret. "Tell me more," McGonagall demanded.

Mina's smile grew, and she proceeded to tell a vague recollection of how she had gotten to 1971. "I was born in 1979 to two muggles. I went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor with my two best friends- Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. We had many great adventures through school which I will not tell right now, so you can enjoy them in the moment later. However, we never finished school because we were too busy helping the Order defeat Voldemort. We succeeded, but not after hundreds of lives were lost. A few months after the war ended, I found this time turner."

"I cannot tell you much right now," Mina said after finishing her tale, "But in the coming years, I am going to change things, and I will need you to help me. Dumbledore will try to interfere, and I need someone I can trust."

"You do not believe Albus is trustworthy?" Minerva questioned. She had grown close to the aging headmaster over the years, and it unnerved her that someone with knowledge from the future did not trust him.

Mina contemplated the question for a minute before answering carefully. "Albus Dumbledore is a great wizard. He is kind, wise, and powerful, however, that does not mean he faults are not just as great. He had never lost his ability to justify suffering as long as he deems it is for the 'greater good'. I believe he will perceive any change I make as a disruption to the outcome of the war and his 'greater good'."

"Will you?"

Without hesitation, Mina replied, "No. I am smarter than that. I will spend the next few years biding time and making plans. When I do make changes, they will hidden until I choose to reveal them."

Minerva eyed the girl. Mina's posture and diction was impeccable. She would have never guessed that the girl wasn't a pureblood until she said it. Mina radiated self confidence and intelligence beyond her years which were shown in her strategic and well thought-out plans. Even with the small amount of information that Mina had released, Minerva felt that she should trust the girl.

"You have my silence."

Mina beamed up at her, momentarily losing the years of war that she bore for childish glee, however, as soon as it presented itself, it was gone. "I would like more than your silence with regards to the Headmaster," Mina declared her tone strong. "I am in need of a confidant. I would like your advice and your tutelage. I understand that apprenticeships are rarely taken while still in Hogwarts, but I would like to request your mentorship during my years here."

Minerva McGonagall was a strict woman. She maintained standards for herself and others, and this one child was asking her to change everything. Not only had she promised to keep secrets from her long time friend, but she found herself willing to bring this girl in within an hour of knowing her. Trying to regain a semblance of control, Minerva asked the girl to prove her experience with Transfiguration before she could become her protégée.

Mina gave the professor a smirk and pulled out her vine wand. With one swish, her hair was straight, short, and horridly blonde. Another twist, accompanied by a loud crack, and a flock of yellow canaries appeared, circling the girl. Her final spell grew claws out of her left hand. All silent. All N.E.W.T level. Another great sweep of her wand banished the birds, returned her nails, and grew her hair back to its long dark waves.

Minerva was impressed. "We will meet every Thursday evening after supper. We will work on wandless spells, then continue from there once you have mastered the art."

Mina finished her cup of tea, then stood to leave, however, once last request lingered at the tip of her tongue. She turned back before reaching the door and asked, "Professor, could you teach me to become an animagus?"

Minerva's stone face broke, and a radiant smile shown through. "Of course." Her own animagus training had been amazingly magical, and Minerva couldn't pull herself to deny that feeling to another willing student.

"Thank you. Goodnight professor."

"Goodnight, Miss Potter."

The door closed with a barely audible click, and Minerva fell back into her armchair, releasing a stressed sigh. She could feel the bond between herself and Mina Potter- distant as it was, and it provoked her to accept the young witch. Behind the Slytherin like facade that Mina wore, she could see the trust in the girl's eyes that spanned time. That kind of trust was rare, and Minerva had no intention of letting it go, no matter how much of a pain in the arse she felt the girl would become in the coming years.

~oo00oo~

Mina reached for the bronze eagle knocker that adorned the door to Ravenclaw tower. The door had no knob. It stood nearly as tall as the vaulted ceiling looking stately with its gleaming bronze fittings that shone against the dark oak.

A clear, female voice came from the beak of the eagle, "I am old and run forever, but I never move at all. I have no lungs, but you can hear my mighty roar. What am I?"

Mina grinned devilishly. She hoped the question would a at least a tad harder.

"A waterfall."

The door swung open.

 _ **A.N./ Next we will see the Ravenclaw common room and see how the first day of classes go. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to review with any comments, criticisms, or critiques. I hope you have a lovely weekend.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Happy Monday!**_

 **1 September, 1971**

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

Mina shared a room with Pandora, Janice, and Darlene. Their dorm was circular and decorated with cream walls and beautiful dark oak four poster beds with bronze embellishments and deep blue hangings. They each had a lovely matching desk, and the room was dimly lit, though the great windows hinted that it would be quite bright by morning. Overall, the room was the bronze and blue equivalent to Gryffindor tower with the minor exceptions of a bit more desk space and seemingly more lavish furnishings.

She noticed that her dorm-mates were all happily asleep. They seemed to have claimed both of the furthest beds and the one with the best desk chair, so Mina made her way to the only empty bed. She wasted no time stripping off her uniform, throwing the dirty clothes unceremoniously over her trunk, and crawling into bed. With the hangings firmly locked around her, she realized just how alone she was for the first time in nearly a year. Hermione would have been happy to have time to herself, but Mina had grown to despise the stale silence that appeared in the absence of Jamie's un-endingly sunny disposition. So, she lay there, staring at the ceiling as her ears strained to hear the soft snores of her brother, but only found the soft rustling of sheets and a faint ticking of a bedside clock. Finding no solace, Mina retreated into her mind. Bringing up her occulmency shields, she played through her recent memories like a film. Slowly but surely, she fell into a deep slumber.

~oo00oo~

 **2 September, 1971**

Light slowly flooded her vision as Mina climbed her way into consciousness. Despite Harry and Ron's assumptions, she was not a morning person, she merely had a strong will to overcome the hell that was waking up. Mina squinted her eyes to avoid the sun's painful rays as she groggily fumbled to turn off the alarm on her wand. She cursed colorfully when the wand fell to the floor and rolled underneath the bed. Mina's hair was a proper mane with no hope of taming it without a good shower. The mattress was so soft and warm that she felt like crying when she managed to finally set her feet on the cold stone floor.

Amidst her grumbles, Mina hardly noticed the other two girls shuffling around in the same manner. If it had not been so early in the morning, she would have taken time to be amazed that she was not alone, as she would have been if she had woken up in Gryffindor Tower with Pavarti and Lavender. Hermione had always been up far before her previous roommates, so it was a pleasant disturbance to her morning routine to see two other girls in the bathroom as well. Neither Pandora nor Darlene seemed to be in a cheery mood, and for that, Mina was grateful. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was happy people at five thirty in the morning.

When Mina was finally showered, brushed, and dressed, she felt slightly more human. She was putting on her shoes when her brain sluggishly thought: _Today will define how everyone views Mina Potter. I have a second chance._ That was the lightbulb that made Mina go back to the mirror to put a little effort into smoothing her curls and fixing her uniform to look a little less neat. She wasn't going to make the same mistakes that Hermione Granger had made through school. Mina Potter didn't need to prove how intelligent she was. Nor did she need to wear the uniform in strict dress code. Mina was going to have more than just two best friends. She wasn't going to be swotty or a know-it-all. Mina was going to be a mostly unassuming student that enjoyed her time at Hogwarts.

Smiling at her relaxed reflection, Mina headed down to breakfast with her roommates in tow. Pandora was hardly awake, but she would occasionally chirp her opinion about whatever Mina and Darlene were chatting about.

"I really don't see the big difference between playing Quidditch at twelve and playing at eleven," Darlene complained as they entered the dining hall.

"I think they're trying to get us into good study habits our first year before we have too many distractions," Mina explained. They found themselves a seat at the end of the virtually empty Ravenclaw table, and continued talking as they filled their bowls with porridge and sausages.

"If that was the case, it doesn't seem to work. I've heard plenty of stories from my older brother who is about to graduate, and he says that no one ever studies until the week before exams," Darlene quipped then promptly stuffed her mouth with bacon. "Merlin, this food is heavenly," she moaned- mouth still full with bacon, "I can never go back to my mother's cooking, now."

Mina giggled and even Pandora managed a smile through her sleep filled eyes. "Anything could beat my mum's cooking. I don't know how she did it, but she once made blood sausage that tasted like peppermint," George Goldstein remarked, his mouth half full of ham, from a few seats away.

"Why would you be complaining? Blood sausage is disgusting," Pandora groaned, apparently gaining a semblance of awareness after a few bites of breakfast.

Their light conversation flowed through breakfast, and by the time Janice finally dragged herself down to the Great Hall, Flitwick was already making his rounds distributing class schedules.

"Oh! What do you have first?" "Ugh. I'm going to fall back asleep." "Do we have to have Astronomy with the Gryffindors? They talk too much!" "Double potions on Friday?!"

Mina internally marveled at the chattering around her. Despite initial protests and whining, the Ravenclaws were beginning to form study groups before classes had even started. It was a practice that would never have happened in Gryffindor, and Mina found herself smiling brightly while she agreed to be in both the Charms and Herbology study group. Even though she knew all the material, the study groups would help her make friends and lessen the amount of time she needed to spend on doing homework.

Mina looked up to see Jamie surrounded by Remus, Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew. They were huddled together at the end of Gryffindor table whispering amongst themselves, and in a moment of Severus Snape- like theatrics, she decided to make a visit to the table. Mina told Pandora and Darlene that she would be back shortly, then proceeded to sneak around the tables garnering her a few curious glances, but nothing more. Knowing that Remus would pick up her scent when she was close, Mina waited until she was just out of range, then quickly swooped in beside Jamie- scaring both her brother and the werewolf.

The boys' faces were priceless. Jamie nearly toppled out of his chair when she put her arm around his shoulder, Remus squeaked and scooted into Peter who was wide-eyed with fear. Sirius was the only one that remained outwardly calm, giving her a devilish smirk that told her he was proud of her small prank.

"Hello boys," Mina greeted cheerfully, hardly containing her laughter.

James gave her a mock glare, but his eyes told her that he was more happy to see her than mad that she embarrassed him in front of his friends. "I thought we were going to wait to plan our first prank together," Jamie pouted.

"Yes," Sirius piped in, "It looks like your initiating a prank war." Amusement sparkled in his eyes.

Mina smirked at him. "If I recall correctly, your all were conspiring without me. This was merely punishment for thinking you could exclude the true mastermind behind the pranks," she shot back.

"Minie," James said with an adoring puppy dog face, "We could never exclude you. Who else has your scary evil mind?"

Laughter erupted, and the four future-marauders and their unofficial leader stole the attention of the Great Hall with their merriment. Professors were looking at them both fondly and with a touch of wariness. Students were gazing at them as if they were straight from the loony bin. "So, what are we planning?" Mina breathed out when she finally regained control of herself.

"Well," Jamie began, taking up his usual arrogant swagger. "We thought that everyone should know what they're in for for the next seven years, and nothing says welcome like some fireworks."

Mina thought quickly. She had to remember that they hardly knew any proper spells, let alone how to modify them. Thinking back to Fred and George's grand exit from Hogwarts, she grinned wickedly. She would need to modify the fireworks, but so long as she used lower level spells she could blame her knowledge on her studiousness. "What if the fireworks could follow people around?"

The boy's eyes lit up with barely contained zeal, however, before they could utter a word, their attention was stolen by the arrival of the morning mail. Hundreds of owls in various sizes, colorings, and dispositions filled the Great Hall. The first years stared upward in wonder, that was until a vicious red envelope plopped in front of Sirius Black with a thud. He stared at it in horror, his face so pale it was nearly see through. All of the students who knew what the letter was backed away quickly upon seeing the smoke.

Hesitantly tearing the seal as if the small patch of wax was the only barrier between himself and death, the Great Hall was instantly filled with the grating screeches of Walburga Black.

"GRYFFINDOR?! YOU ARE A DISAPPOINTMENT TO THIS FAMILY! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN FROM THE MOMENT YOU WERE BORN THAT YOU WOULD ONLY BE A STAIN ON THE HOUSE OF BLACK! YOU ARE A WASTE-"

The voluminous shrieking ended suddenly. Sirius opened his eyes, his body still tense as if waiting to be hit and his face flushed in embarrassment, and he saw Mina's hair sparking and she was glaring at the burning remains of the Howler on the table as if she saw the abominable woman herself.

The Great Hall was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, but slowly the students began to chat with their neighbors again-most likely gossiping. Once the Great Hall was back to it's normal volume, Sirius quietly whispered, "Thank you."

Mina could only manage to nod before she rose and rejoined her friends at Ravenclaw table.

~oo00oo~

Deciding to start immediately on her different approach to schooling, Mina used the time she would have normally spent trying to stay awake and vigorously taking notes in History of Magic and reapplied the time to secretly charming the fireworks that Jamie had given her. The majority of her time was spent attempting to remember first year spells that could be used to track and follow different people. Thinking of none, she worked primarily off of the lowest-level spells she knew- which wasn't saying much. She used a modified tracking charm that would hone in on whoever touches the firework first, she then used a modification of mobiliarbus to levitate and move the firework with the person being tracked. The Weasley twins would have been proud.

When Binns had finally realized the class was over, they all filed out, stretching and yawning.

"How come you didn't take any notes?" Darlene asked, seemingly worried at her friend's behavior. "I know it's boring, but it's only the first day."

Mina smiled brightly to ease the girl's worries. "I have heard about the Magical Settlement a dozen times. I could recite it in my sleep. My parents taught us history quite thoroughly, and I've read the book twice," she explained. In all actuality, Euphemia had taught her a tad about history, but mostly just their family's. Mina could recite the lessons because she had already passed the class with an Outstanding and read the book no less than six times.

Darlene was still slightly concerned, but she managed a smile. "I thought I was a swot because I read all my books once," she joked.

"My dear Darlene," Mina sighed, exaggeratingly throwing her arm around her friend. "I am the queen of swottiness. I shall teach you my ways- if we survive potions first."

"Oh thank you, your royal swottiness," Darlene drawled in her best aristocratic tone.

"I think it should be: Your High Swottish Majesty," Pandora quipped.

The trio laughed and poked at each other the entire way down to the dungeons for potions with the Hufflepuffs. Darlene hadn't even seen Mina slip a folded up note into the hand of Severus Snape as they exited the classroom.

~oo00oo~

Slughorn was just as duplicitous, insidious, and shrewd as he had been in the nineties. He wooed the first years by showing off three cauldrons of various potions reminiscent of her sixth year. Essence of Insanity, Wit Sharpening Potion, and Sleeping Draught were all on display for the naïve first years to fawn over while Slughorn sat back on his desk with a conspiring grin and lectured to them about the glory that came from potioneering. Mina had to remind herself that if she were truly a first year, this would have amazed her, so she arranged her features into a mask of awe and pretended she was listening attentively.

"Today, I will have you all brew Forgetfulness Potion. This is not an complicated potion, but I ask that you do not ingest it. Can anyone tell me why you should not drink this potion?" Slughorn asked with a disarming grin.

A few hands went up, and he called on Janice Knuttlebee. "Because it's a _forgetfulness_ potion, and you never know just how much you'll forget," Janice stated in an ever-so-slightly sarcastic tone. She was obviously not happy with Slughorn's condescending speech, and Mina couldn't help but agree with her- well Mina and the rest of Ravenclaw house which snickered silently at her response.

Slughorn's eyes flashed with irritation, but he continued in his jovial spirit. "Thank you Miss Knuttlebee. Five points to Ravenclaw. Now, I am going to put the directions for the potion on the board. I would like you all to try your best. This potion is not graded- it is merely to assess your talent. Ingredients are in the back room. You may begin," he announced with a swish of his wand- revealing the simple directions for Forgetfulness Potion.

Mina almost snorted at his theatrics. He was clearly trying to suss out the students with a natural talent for potions for his ridiculous club. While Mina internally admitted that he was not a bad man, but he was shameless in his pursuit for powerful allies and that grated on Mina's nerves. She hated being a part of his little club in her day because it made her feel like she was merely a trophy for him to put on a shelf.

Mina knew that she was not suppose to draw attention to herself, but she also knew that Snape and Lily would both be a part of Slug Club. She needed to get close to both of them, but not overshadow them. So, Mina made just enough mistakes that day to make a barely viable potion, but not enough mistakes to make her seem like a completely clueless first year. Her potion said that she had potential, and that- along with her transfiguration apprenticeship- would be enough for Slughorn to notice her and bring her into his Slug Club but not draw too much attention to her.

She cringed at the thought of attending more of the over-the-top parties in his ostentatious office, but she had to remind herself that her sacrifice was for the greater good- well, her greater good. She snorted at the thought.

"Well done Miss Potter," Slughorn said, coming up to peer in her cauldron while keeping an easy smile. "You stirred a tad too rigorously, and your mistletoe berries could be ground finer. However, I am sure you will be able to make this potion perfectly given practice."

Mina gave him a shy smile and a humble 'thank you, sir' which appeased the old man. Her mask fell into one of thinly veiled contempt the second he had turned away.

George Goldstein- her potion's partner- noticed the change. "Why don't you like him? You know, other than because he treats us like five year olds," he joked, but a true question lay behind his grassy green eyes.

Mina answered as honestly as she could. "I've heard of his Slug Club. He just cultivates students with talent like decorations to use later if he wants something." In truth, there was also some ambiguous undercurrent of dislike that eclipsed the good she knew about him- his Slug Club was part of it, but there was just something else that she couldn't put her finger on.

Goldstein appeared contemplative. When he replied, it was clear that he had really taken her opinion into consideration. "I can see that, but I think that his club- while obnoxious- does too much good by creating connections among students to dislike him completely."

Mina couldn't argue with his logic, but she was still wary of the old man. Mina and Goldstein continued to chat until the end of the lesson in which Alice Max managed to blow up her potion and three students were rushed to Madam Pomfrey for burns and memory loss. _I see where Neville gets his potion skills from_ Mina remarked mentally as she scrubbed her own cauldron in the sink beside the girl. "So," Mina began casually, "Potions isn't going too well?"

Alice eyed her warily as if she was afraid that Mina would start berating her for messing up her potion. Mina knew what it was like to be bullied, and she could see that mistrust that she had once known in the eyes of the girl standing beside her. Memories of Draco Malfoy sneering 'Mudblood' quickly flashed across her mind, but she quelled them nearly instantly. Once the biting commentary of her own school bully was locked away, Mina turned her attention back to Alice whose eyes were still cautiously monitoring her. Ignoring the girl's uneasiness, Mina trudged on. "My brother and I read the textbook and practiced at home before class- well until our parents found out we were brewing. They were furious when they saw that we had found where they had hidden our wands." Alice's lips curled into a barely noticeable smile, so Mina continued on. "Father almost had a conniption. He lectured Jamie for an hour about how he was going to be a criminal, and they would lock us up in Azkaban if we were caught. Mum just pulled me to the side and told me not to get caught next time."

At this point, Alice had fully turned toward Mina with a brilliant gummy smile. "My name is Mina Potter, by the way," Mina introduced, sticking out her wet, sudsy child hand.

Alice immediately latched on to her hand, shaking it delicately with her own soapy skin. "Alice Max," she announced, her smile still shining.

"Maybe I could help you with Potions if you could help me with a project of my own," Mina offered with a mischievous glint in her dark eyes.

A spark of curiosity lit in Alice's hazel eyes. Her short, blonde hair made her look a bit like a mad scientist in that moment, and Mina pushed down her amusement. "What type of project?" Alice asked casually, though her interest showed through the smirk she was attempting to hide.

"My twin brother is starting his own band of pranksters, and I think he needs some competition," Mina grinned slyly.

Alice beamed back. "I'm in."

~oo00oo~

Lunch came quickly, and Mina found herself excited to pull her first prank. Alice had to go back to her dorm to put away a few of her books before lunch, so Mina wasted no time dawdling and practically raced into the Great Hall. Jamie, never one to miss a meal unless there was Quidditch, was sitting at the Gryffindor table surrounded by his fellow Marauders. Remus was reading over the History of Magic textbook- no doubt preparing for his next lesson. Peter was attempting to stack five turkey legs on top of each other, but the fourth leg had a bite out of it and was upsetting the balance of the meat pile. James and Sirius were debating the merits of using a Nibus over the more reliable Cleansweeps. Mina almost careened into Sirius in her rush to see James.

"Whoa! You almost killed me, woman!" Sirius shouted dramatically holding his heart. "How can you oogle at my magnificent body if I'm a pancake?"

Mina barely acknowledged his joke with a snort before she bought the boys close and whispered excitedly, "The fireworks are done. They will follow around anyone who touches them, so be careful not to physically touch them." The boys looked at the wrapped up fireworks in her jacket with wonder. Sirius, naturally, was the first to speak.

"Merlin, Mina. These are bloody amazing!" he breathed. When his sparkling grey eyes met hers, she felt a twang in her chest. The only response she could muster was a wide, toothy smile which he reciprocated. Their tiny moment was interrupted- again- by her brother enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Minie. I was a bit disappointed in you for breaking up the twin chasers, but this more than makes up for it. We'll be the twin pranksters. We'll take the school by storm with our band of marauders!" he yammered enthusiastically and gestured to Remus, Peter, and Sirius. "We're going to be legendary!"

Remus smiled up at Mina, and softly said, "You know you're never getting out of this, now? You've gotten James all excited, and Sirius would practically marry you if James would let him."

To prove Remus' point, Sirius slid out of his seat and got down on one knee in front of Mina and professed, "Minie, you're the only prankster for me. Would you marry me?" Mirth burned in his eyes, and his smirk only grew as he saw her blush.

Deciding to turn the tables on him, Mina threw her arms around him and gushed, "Oh Sirius! Of course! It's practically a dream come true!"

His expression was priceless. He sputtered and couldn't come up with a single response. He was still on one knee and turning a bright, firetruck red while words continued to eluded him. Decided to be truly evil, Mina bent down and softly kissed his cheek and whispered, "I was only joking."

Sirius struggled to come out of the experience with some form of dignity, but he could only manage a flustered, "bloody hell, woman" as he stumbled into his seat again. When he finally regained a semblance of decorum despite the laughter of his mates, he groaned, "I hope that wasn't legally binding. My parents would skin me alive."

Remus and James were too busy laughing to notice the slight panic flicker over Mina's face. Deciding to end the conversation on a light note, she joked, "I think I would skin you alive first. Next time you propose, take me somewhere nicer to eat" and shoved the thoughts of accidentally becoming betrothed to Sirius at the back of her mind.

Another round of howling laughter followed with Sirius joining in.

~oo00oo~

"What was that all about?" Darlene asked, leaning forward with anticipation for some good gossip. Mina had just sat down next to her roommates when they attacked her with questions.

"Did Black really propose?" Janice questioned. "Did you say yes?" she asked moments later, he eyes sparkled hungrily for gossip.

"I feel like a prank is going on. What hallways should I avoid?" Pandora inquired. Her blue eyes looked dreamy, but they held a gleam of knowledge which told Mina that she knew exactly what had happened, and she was amused.

"Why is Black staring at you?" Goldstein remarked, seemingly oblivious to the previous happenings.

Mina groaned under all of the questions. However, no rubbing her forehead and closing her eyes made their eager stares turn away. Sighing, she told them what had happened. "I'm helping the boys with a prank," she explained. "I worked on it through History of Magic, and I was showing them what I did. Then, Sirius decided to be funny and pretend to propose. So, I decided to get him back by pretending to say yes. His face was priceless." She smiled faintly while she remembered his gobsmacked expression from mere moments ago.

Goldstein gave her a low whistle, Janice and Darlene looked amused, and Pandora wore a grin that said she knew a lot more than she was willing to reveal and whatever it was entertained her. Janice was the first to speak. "I would hope that Black's mother doesn't find out. I've heard she's a bit of a supremacist."

"It was just a joke-," Goldstein started.

Janice cut him off with a perfectly polished finger. "Not in Pureblood culture. If Mina wanted to, she could call for a betrothal contract, and Black couldn't do anything about it," she explained.

At this point, Mina had begun freaking out again. All those Pureblood lessons from Euphemia came back to her in waves, and she could clearly remember her mother explaining the process of marriage. "Marriage and relationships among Purebloods varies in many ways from muggle and even common wizarding customs. In the more traditionalist families, they draw up betrothal contracts sometime as early as infancy. Most of us, however, allow for a partner to be chosen," Euphemia elucidated. "Once he proposes and the girl accepts, there are two options: peaceful negotiations between families, or- in your father and my case- the girl can demand for the families to draw up a contract, and they have to comply."

"I'd keep that card up my sleeve. It could be useful later," Pandora grinned evilly. The young blonde may have been sorted into Ravenclaw for her intellect, but she was wicked as a Slytherin if she wanted to be.

That managed to pull Mina out of her worries, and she returned her friend's devious grin. "I might just do that."

~oo00oo~

After lunch, the Ravenclaw first years trouped down the grounds with their Slytherin counterparts for Herbology in Greenhouse 1. The easy intermingling of the two houses never stopped astounding Mina. She had expected the Slytherin house to group up and hiss at the Ravenclaw half of the class, but it seemed that house rivalry was nearly exclusively between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Yes, there were students like Mulciber and Avery that glared at everyone who wasn't a pureblood, but they were surprisingly few within the house.

It took a bit of convincing on her part, but eventually Severus Snape allowed her to stand next to him in Herbology. They had a very stilted conversation throughout the period, mostly because they were not partners, but partly because Severus was still wary of Mina's openness. She did, however, manage a smile out of him when she told him about the note she slipped earlier.

"Unless you've always wanted a firework as a pet, I suggest not touching anything cylindrical from the floor or anything my brother and his friends throw at you," she whispered to him while they potted Moly flowers.

Herbology passed relatively quickly, the only injury being Mulciber when he decided that he wanted to touch the Spiky Bush which promptly wrapped it's thorns around his hand in greeting. Knowing the horrible person he would eventually become, Mina found it very difficult to garner any sympathy for the kid. She found it almost amusing that the Spiky Bush seemed to merely want to shake hands, and it was very displeased when Mulciber tried to immediately snatch his hand back.

Professor Sprout ended class with the assignment of a twenty four inch essay on the most common injuries from magical plants. A few students snickered at the obvious connection to Mulciber, but most simply filed out of the greenhouse happy to have their fourth block over with.

Severus glanced at Mina warily as they climbed back towards the castle. Just as the two were about to separate off with their friends, Severus whispered, "Thank you" and quickened his pace towards the dungeons. Luckily, he never turned around to see the bright grin that overtook Mina's face.

~oo00oo~

 **Midnight**

 **Astronomy Tower**

"Mina," Sirius murmured in her ear from behind her. The warmth coming off of his body enveloped her in a comforting embrace, and she found herself unconsciously leaning back into his presence. Unexpectedly, he wrapped an arm around her waist and continued as if she hadn't just fell back against someone she had supposedly known for less than two days. "Thank you." His voice was filled with the same easy familiarity she felt towards him, and as he rested his chin on her shoulder, she couldn't help but envision them both as being older. The Sirius who escaped from Azkaban was littered with tattoos, drank more than proper, smoked, and had a haunted look in his eye that said he knew what true terror felt like, but in that moment, all she wanted was that crazy man.

"I'd do it again in a heart beat," she whispered back, hoping that her voice didn't betray her thoughts.

But Mina knew that this eleven year old Sirius knew nothing of romantic notions and sweet hugs. He was a young boy who cared for Quidditch, friends, and pranks. He would soon become the Lothario of Hogwarts and wouldn't think twice about the time he wrapped his arms around his friend's sister. She could feel the bond between them growing- she did not know whether is was one-sided or not. So, despite the pain ripping through her heart, she pulled herself away from his arms- back into the cold night air- and forced herself to join her brother and Remus who were quietly dissecting their star charts.

What she failed to see was the emotions displayed on Sirius' face. Sadness, then determination, and finally unending affection. Sirius knew that what he was feeling was not normal for an eleven year old boy, but he followed it anyways. One of the only half-decent lessons his parents had drilled into him was a trust of magic, and if magic was telling him that the funny little black-haired girl was his future, then he trusted that. So, a little after midnight on top of the Astronomy tower, he made a vow that one day he would be with her- even if he didn't understand exactly what that meant at the moment.

He looked over to her once again while he finished his star chart. He hair was tangled from the wind, her blue tie was loosened, and her robes were pulled up to her neck to protect against the cold which made her laughing face look rounded and chubby. He could feel the golden glow of their bond warm his heart. _Mine_.

 _ **A.N./ I hope you enjoyed this chapter and all of its hints for the future. The rest of her Hogwarts years wouldn't have a solid chapter devoted to one day, but I thought that the first day was too important to pass up. Also, I know that Sirius and Mina's relationship looks like it's moving a bit fast, but fear not, they are eleven and that's creepy.**_

 _ **Please review with comments, criticisms, or corrections. All I ask is that you keep it polite. I hope you all have a fabulous week!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**As a warning, I had way too much fun writing this chapter.**_

The first few weeks resulted in a new routine that Mina happily sank into. History of Magic was spent pretending to take notes, but really studying advanced Transfiguration. Potions involved a lot of chatting with Alice and Goldstein while trying to remember mistakes to make to slightly mess up the potions every time. Severus kept Mina laughing through Herbology, and study groups commenced after dinner which she spent half with the marauders and the other half with her friends. Mina and Sirius were paired together in Astronomy where he flirted with her relentlessly, while still managing to actually teach her a great deal about the stars.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was another class where Mina had to remember to make mistakes and slow her reaction times. When the professor- a chunky balding man named Francis Vongut- showed them cornish pixies, she forced her face into a look of slight fright and awe to match the rest of the class. Mina sometimes forgot that she wasn't in Slytherin house. Charms was usually spent goofing around with the marauders where Mina managed to annoy the living hell out of her head of house every time she knew the answer when it was clear that she had not been listening the entire lesson. He clearly was not happy that she seemed to excel while obviously not taking the class seriously.

The only class where she allowed herself to do her work perfectly in was Transfiguration. McGonagall had instructed her to show off the first day, which gave her a good reason to take Mina on as her apprentice. Thursday evenings were the highlight of Mina's week, because she could let down her facade and work to her full power. They had begun the meditations for animagus transformations that first lesson, and Mina was giddy with excitement. Her meditations hadn't revealed her form yet, and her stomach knotted with anticipation and a touch of dread every time she strained to see her animal when she meditated. McGonagall constantly reminded her that it had taken her months to learn her animagus, but Mina couldn't help but feel disappointed every time she came out of her meditations no closer to finding out her elusive inner animal.

Outside of class, Mina still helped the Marauders with pranks. Over their first two months of classes, they managed to get a Potions class canceled with a skunk-spray-bomb, turn the Defense dummies into ducks that would randomly bite student's ankles, make the whole of Hufflepuff yellow for a day, let out a hundred toads in the hallways, and best of all: they managed to get the house elves to serve only carrot-based foods for a day, which properly confused all of Hogwarts when their favorite porridge and eggs were missing and replaced with carrot cakes and latkes. The boys still wondered just how Mina managed to convince the house elves to believe that it was a new holiday, and it would be very festive to serve only carrot-fixings.

 **5 November, 1971**

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

Meanwhile, the oncoming winter months brought a harsh, brittle cold that crept into the stone halls like vines of ice. Janice's short skirts all but disappeared, and the first-year girls of Ravenclaw tower spent their evenings curled around the dormitory fireplace, huddled together under their combined blankets, finishing essays and giggling about the latest pranks or the couples caught by Filtch snogging in alcoves. The most surprising news of the day was Mina's hair.

"Tell us again exactly what happened," Darlene said grinning and gesturing towards Mina's bright purple hair that was straight as a pin and cropped dangerously close to her ears.

While Mina could easily see just how harmless the joke was, she knew that a normal eleven year old girl would be devastated, so she donned a mask of horror and retold the story of that morning.

"Well, I woke up and went to shower. Nothing really seemed amiss until I came out and looked in the mirror. I don't know how he did it, but I know that it was Sirius. He must have put something in my shampoo, so I threw it away. When I went down to breakfast, I had McGonagall glamour my hair like normal, and I could see a disappointed look on Sirius and James' faces. She said that the purple and the straightness could be fixed, but I would have to let my hair grow out or use a potion that would also grow out other hair. I don't know how he cut my hair!" she proclaimed indignantly to the audience of girls before her.

Pandora grinned widely, "I think it's time for a prank war."

Janice's eyes sparkled with mischief. "First things first. We need to make them complacent. Make them think that you're just going to let this go. No more glamour. We're going to clean this mess up a bit, but you're going to own it. Show them that you can roll with the punches and look fabulous. While they're snickering and thinking that they can get away with it, we will be plotting and planning."

Darlene smirked. "I say we get a little Slytherin. How about we pull the Prewett twins on our side? They seem to really like Mina, and I know that half of the school is itching to see the Marauder's get a little pay back- not that they know Mina helps them do half of their little pranks."

Mina let her disgruntled mask chip away slowly, and she gave the girls a genuine grin. "This is going to be amazing." She wished that Harry was there to see his dad and his best friend starting a school wide prank war- he wouldn't shut up about it for decades if he knew.

Pandora brought out a pair of shearing scissors from her bottomless trunk of surprisingly useful objects. The blonde girl assured Mina that she had cut her mother's hair for the last year, which did nothing to assuage Mina's worries when the girl began hacking. Mina's only comfort was the chant in her head, 'I can always glamour it. I can always glamour it'. Janice and Darlene's voice cut through her mental chanting like a razor every time they gasped. By the time her hair was evanesco'd from the floor, she was terrified to look into the mirror they handed her. Eighteen gasps. It couldn't possibly be good.

Creaking open each eye as if they were century old doors that were rusted shut, her vision finally brightened to see her reflection. She almost dropped the mirror.

Her normally long, black, curly hair was long gone. In its place was spiky, straight, neon violet strands. Her dark chocolate eyes were round with surprise and worry which gave her features an almost comical appearance. Despite herself, she reached a hand up to run through her hair. It was soft. There were no tangles. It fell through her fingers like water. When she finally pulled her eyes from the strangeness of her new reflection, she couldn't help herself. She grinned up at the girls. "I like it."

Later when all of the girls were in bed, Mina lay curled under her covers running her fingers through her hair and contemplation the situation. She was so deep in thought she nearly missed the soft padding of footsteps and her bed dipping beneath the weight of another person.

"You aren't actually upset as you seemed," Pandora stated in a whisper. It was not a harsh accusation- just a soft proclamation to remind her that there was one girl her age that she didn't have to pretend for.

Mina quietly put up silencing charms around her bed and closed the opulent bed hangings to give them privacy.

"No. I can see how harmless the prank was. But what eleven year old girl wouldn't be upset if her hair was cut off? Though I can't say I don't miss my long hair," Mina sighed wistfully. She forgot sometimes that Pandora was touched with Sight. The young girl was an excellent confidant and friend, but sometimes she forgot that she didn't have to hide from every one.

"If you aren't upset, why are you starting the prank war? It will only draw attention to you," Pandora said, her eyes looking dreamy, but behind the cloudiness, Mina knew she was actually analyzing every detail.

Mina grinned sheepishly. "Would you believe me if I said it was merely entertaining?"

Pandora's eyes cleared, and she gave Mina a shining smile. "I believe it will be very entertaining. Would you believe me if I told you that I have never cut hair before?"

Mina stared at her in abject horror, but quickly her imminent terror dissolved into peals of laughter once logic set back in. She couldn't believe that she trusted an eleven year old to cut her hair- the very thought sent her into hysterical laughter.

 **6 November, 1971**

 **Great Hall**

"Sirius!" James whispered with panic rolling through his entire being.

"What?" Sirius grunted groggily. His face was nearly touching his eggs and sausage, and his eyes were barely cracked open. He was hoping that James had merely seen another spider, and Remus would take over responsibility for smooshing the damned thing. However, his hopes were to no avail.

"Mina." It was the only word that could wake him up out of a dead sleep. Usually, the only time it woke him up was the times she would come into their dormitory at night to sleep next to James, but this time he knew exactly why her name should wake him up. The prank worked. He was a dead man.

Sirius' head practically shot up and locked onto his target in a second. Mina was walking into the Great Hall with her friends surrounding her bright purple head. The most concerning part of the sight before him was not the wicked smile gracing her lips. Nor was it the easy confidence in which she held the attention of the room as if she owned it. Rather, the twin boys that were on either side of her. The Prewett twins. And she was smiling up at one of them as if they were her sun.

"We're never going to make it out of this one," James groaned- noticing the same scene Sirius had.

Remus was smirking like a cat that got a canary. "You wanted a prank war," the sandy haired boy quipped. Somehow, Remus had landed a special place in Mina's heart that exempted him from her ire. Sirius and James were still trying to figure out how he had managed to find Mina's eternal good-graces, as the other two boys regularly found themselves on the end of her 'I'm disappointed' looks. Sirius had the self-awareness to understand that while Remus may be on a pedestal, and she could never stay mad at James, he seemed to be the one person that she treated with the most care. Which- in this case- meant she was going to personalize his punishment. Sirius already felt himself drowning in dread.

Despite the fear pooling in the stomachs of James and Sirius, nothing happened. Every chair they checked was devoid of sharp objects or loose screws. Their toiletries were jinx free. Every hallway they scouted held no students hiding in the shadows ready to charm their shoelaces together- though they made a mental note to research tripping charms for future pranks. Mina acted as if nothing had happened. She continued to help them with essays, small pranks, and chatted during lunch and dinner. She even ignored their absolute terror every time she snuck into their dorms.

After a week and a half of paranoia, Sirius and James decided that her retribution was over. They were so very wrong.

 **19 November, 1971**

 **Hogwarts Library**

A group of students were huddled in the back corner of the Hogwarts library. They were excitedly conspiring in whispers that both intrigued and annoyed Madam Pince, the school librarian. Despite her annoyance, she hesitated to break up the gathering. In all of her years at Hogwarts- fifty two to be exact- she had never seen an inter-house gathering to this proportion. As a former Ravenclaw herself, her curiosity won out, and she silently moved closer to the group to hear what they were conferring about.

"Do you really think they have gotten complacent?" one young Hufflepuff girl asked- hesitation lacing her words.

"Of course they have!" a red-haired Gryffindor quietly exclaimed. "Haven't you noticed that they have gone back to pranking Sev?"

"Why do they have some sick fascination with me again?" a lanky Slytherin boy asked morosely.

A Ravenclaw girl replied. "Because you're close to Lily, and James Potter thinks you're a threat to his 'eternal love'. Not to mention that you told Sirius to go find some blocks to play with when he interrupted a study session with Mina. We all know Black is head over heels for her," she explained in a snooty voice.

Discussion over the relationships of the teenagers seemed to erupt, and Madam Pince was about to walk away from what seemed to be a waste of her time, when the ring leader spoke up.

A different Ravenclaw girl with short, bright purple hair stood up. Madam Pince knew her to be Mina Potter- the only first year with an unlimited access card to the Restricted section. She had always seemed to be a quiet girl who took her academics seriously, and she have never caused any trouble for the older librarian, which put her on the woman's good list.

"Come on, now. This isn't what we're here for," Mina chided the students as if she was their professor. Shockingly, they all hushed at her address. "My brother and James have been pranking the school with very little opposition. Fabian and Gideon have NEWTs to study for, so we need to band together to put them in their place. Lily is right. They're complacent now, and this is the best time to strike, so we need a good plan. Are you all willing to help?"

A unanimous cry of 'yes!' rang out from the small crowd. Mina's face split into a devious smirk that sparkled in her eyes while she listened to the ideas of all of the students in the group. Some ideas were simple "Put dungbombs in their book bags!" "Replace their pumpkin juice with a shrinking potion!" but others were clearly better thought out "Slowly shorten their clothes and shrink their things so they start believing that they're growing really quickly" "Get the house elves to not clean their rooms or wash their clothes. See how long it takes for them to realize that they have to regain favor with you and not the elves!" The responses were actually quite clever, and Madam Pince found herself silently commending the group for their creativity.

However, one response- spoken quietly from the young Hufflepuff girl- was clearly the most devious. "I think we should all do a load of small pranks coming from all of the houses. The Ravenclaws can charm their quills to only write in runes. The Gryffindors can spread tiny, un-harmful rumors about the two- enough to annoy them but not hurt their reputations. The Slytherins can use their connections to sign the boys up for mildly embarrassing owl posts- like boil cream and talon-toe removals. All the while, the Hufflepuffs can use our connections with the house elves to non-permanently modify their clothes."

The idea was brilliant. All of the pranks individually were merely small annoyances, but together those boys would be out of their mind. Cunning, yet holding integrity. The girl must have been a hatstall between Hufflepuff and Slytherin.

Before Madam Pince could commend the girl any further, another spoke up. The Slytherin boy. "I think that Mina should have one prank of her own as a finale- that way Black and Potter can put together that she was involved in the other plans as well," Severus added thoughtfully.

Gideon and Fabian grinned wide and looked at Mina expectantly. "Can you do _the thing_?" they asked in unison.

"What _thing_?" asked the snooty Ravenclaw- and Madam Pince in her own mind. She was becoming too involved in the drama, and she chided herself for it but kept avidly listening.

Mina flushed ever so slightly, but explained 'the thing' to the group to the excitement of the boys on either side of her. "Gideon, Fabian, and I came up with a plan to-" she paused and flushed further. "to transfigure them both into girls- makeup and skirts included."

One of the Prewett twins piped up. "You forgot the best part!" he whined jokingly.

The other twin spared Mina and giddily explained the best part. "Once the boys- or rather girls- come into the Great Hall- we were going to present Mina with a crown and present her to Hogwarts as the heir to our pranking thrones!"

"We did not agree to that!" Mina argued back to the twins. "I wanted my prank to be at least a tad subtle."

"Pranking is not subtle," one of the twins shot back.

Madam Pince had to agree with the red-haired boys. Though she was normally against riff-raff in the castle, she had seen the pranks the Black and Potter boys had done, and she agreed that it was time for a little pay back. The small part of her that had the sorting had considering Gryffindor wished that the students invited her into these discussions. No one thought that the librarian could have a fun bone in her body, but although it was well hidden, she had a scheming streak through her youth.

Stepping from the shadows of the stacks, Madam Pince stood at the back of the circle of students. Each one nearly jumped out of their skins- sharing an equal look of anxiety and fright. Internally smirking at their expressions, she continued with her prepared speech.

"I do not believe that the library is a conference room for your little plots," she barked in her normal, sharp tone reserved for loud students. However, before the inevitable spewing of 'We're sorry' could come, she continued in the same sharp tone, "However, I believe I have a solution to your problem."

Shock and awe greeted her announcement, and she couldn't help but let out a small smile. "If Miss Potter does not wish for the whole of Hogwarts to be gaping at her, then leave her be. There are plenty of other ways to give her commendations. Such as the staff awarding her points," the librarian offered with a sparkle in her brown eyes.

 **26 November, 1971**

James and Sirius had been having a miserable week. It started off with no less than five owls each of advertisements varying from cream for underarm fungus to 'natural male enhancement'. Luckily mail was easy to hide, but their flushed, nervous faces were on display for the whole of Gryffindor to gossip about. Rumors began to spread that they were failing classes and hiding away the disappointed letters from their parents. Many Gryffindors started asking if they needed tutoring or if their detentions from pranks were actually remedial lessons. Some of the sixth and seventh year Gryffindors took their embarrassment as symptoms of puberty, and three older Gryffindor boys asked them if they wanted to talk about any 'funny' feelings.

Rumors also spread about small things: they liked to get their nails manicured, they spent hours getting 'perfectly messy' in the mornings, and they wrote so poorly they couldn't read their own handwriting. The last rumor came from another mysterious new occurrence: their quills were only writing in runes. They had to keep a book on rune translation sitting beside them anytime they needed to read their notes and couldn't understand a word they wrote. It was unendingly frustrating, and Sirius was aggravated that his reputation for being a prankster was being squashed by his constant need to carry around rune translation books. He was starting to look like an over-achiever.

Finally, to top of their shitty week, their clothes were different. Some days their clothes were too tight, others they were too short or long- one day, their clothes were so thick that they found themselves sweating profusely through each of their classes. All attempts of questioning the house elves led to being kicked out of the kitchens and their morning breakfast being cold. Overall, it was maddening.

Both of the boys knew- they just _knew_ \- it all had something to do with Mina. But, every time she was accused, her eyes shone, and she pleaded that she had nothing to do with it. Normally, they would not believe her from her words alone- she was a master liar- but in this case, they could not catch her in a single act. She hadn't slept in their dorms that week to modify their clothes. Their quills didn't work in all of their classes, not just the ones with her in it. They would easily blame her for at least the mail, because they knew the rumors came from Gryffindor, but she was so shocked at the card for 'natural male enhancement' that even Sirius in all of his paranoia couldn't believe that someone could laugh that hard at a joke they had set up.

So, that night that she crawled into James bed with a little frown on her face, and both boys begrudgingly let their eyes close and their minds drift off to sleep. They should have known better.

 **27 November, 1971**

 **Gryffindor First Year Boy's Dormitory**

Light. Sirius groaned as his mind lifted out of the dream world of professional Quidditch games and butterbeer toasts with friends into the bright reality that was his four poster bed. His body ached- probably from his wrestling match with Remus the night before, which he lost. Stretching his limbs, he noticed that the sheets felt particularly soft that morning, which made getting up all the more difficult. Sitting up, he opened his curtains, and nearly choked at what he saw.

There was a girl in James' bed. Not Mina- she always rose earlier than the sun and was often out of their dorm before anyone could wake up to see her leave. The strange girl in James' bed had short, wild black hair and was completely topless. Laying on her stomach, she snored delicately in a similar manner to James.

That thought flicked on a lightbulb in Sirius' early-morning brain. "James!" he shouted.

The strange girl bolted upright. Familiar hazel eyes and a disturbingly attractive set of breasts greeted him. The same strange girl spoke in James' voice. "Who the fuck are you? Sirius?!"

Not expecting that particular greeting, Sirius began to gesture confusedly at James' attitude when he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a bedroom mirror.

Merlin's saggy balls. He was a girl. An ugly girl if he had ever seen one. While his aristocratic cut jaw line and strong brow made him a handsome guy- it was not made to be paired with a small set of perky breasts and delicate hands.

"Dammit!" Sirius exclaimed, hitting his bedpost- and immediately regretting the pain that shot through his new delicate hand.

"Mina," the girl version of James groaned with both dismay and a twinge of begrudging respect.

Sirius couldn't help but agree.

~oo00oo~

Remus had nearly had the wolf scared out of him that morning upon waking up to two topless, angry girls in his room. Those girls being James and Sirius had turned his fear into uncontrollable laughter. Even as they headed down for breakfast in the Great Hall, every time he caught a glimpse of their baggy shirts to hide their new additions made him fall into another round of tumultuous laughter. Not that they could hide much, the makeup that was charmed onto their faces couldn't be scrubbed off despite their best efforts, and if the whole of the school couldn't see their newly acquired breasts, they would sure see the bright pink eyeshadow and lipstick.

Both James and Sirius stomped to their regular seats, ignoring the stares and hushed whispers of the Hogwarts gossip mill. Remus sat at his normal spot, and although he was usually one to avoid attention, he basked in the embarrassment of his friends who heard every question Remus so readily answered.

"Who did it?"

You'll find out soon enough.

"Is the makeup permanent?"

No. But it obviously isn't coming off very easily.

"Do they really have boobs?"

Yes.

Remus knew the second Mina stepped into the Great Hall as he was avidly watching his best friends' faces, and when Mina entered with the Prewett twins, their embarrassment abruptly turned into anger.

It seemed that she had taken a card out of James' hand, and she swaggered up to Gryffindor table without a care in the world. She ignored her twin's enraged expression and plunked herself down right beside him- going so far as to steal a piece of bacon from his plate. Once she was done chewing, she looked at his sputtering form and merely gave him a smirk.

"You wanted a prank war. You got a prank war," she said simply, not hiding smile that followed- it was clear she knew she had won and was quite pleased with herself.

"You. You. You!" James stammered. His righteous anger burned in his eyes, but impaired his ability to form words, so he was left to merely gesture wildly and flop his mouth open at odd intervals.

"We're girls!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly. The sudden shift of the entire Great Hall's attention reddened the tips of his ears and base of his neck.

"That's quite the observation, Sirius," Mina replied sarcastically. To the casual observer, it looked as if Mina was already bored of the conversation, but Remus could see a sparkle in her eyes and a slight crinkle beside them that told him she was truly enjoying herself. He felt that if he squinted hard enough, he could see the strings she was craftily pulling to make the boys do exactly as she wanted. The girl was a genius with a devious mind, and Remus was grateful that she spent her time studying and setting up harmless pranks rather than plotting to rule the world- he had no doubt that she could succeed if she wanted to.

At Sirius' gobsmacked face, Mina bid her farewells. "I'll see you later boys," she said airily, kissing both on the head before amending herself. "Sorry- girls." She cast one last unapologetic glance, then trounced back to the Ravenclaw table leaving her brother and Sirius in a daze.

"She was definitely behind this whole week," Sirius said dumbly staring after her. His thoughts swirled between shock and admiration.

James did not appear to have heard anything after Mina left, his only sign of life being his ever opening and closing mouth.

"You both are idiots," Peter peeped in for the first time that morning.

"I have to agree."

~oo00oo~

The student body of Hogwarts were in a unanimous decision that the day could not have been any more entertaining. Even the staff would scurry off to the lounge to gossip about the magnificence of Mina Potter's prank. Madam Pince had warned the staff of the plans that Mina's group had made in the library, and it took very little effort on her part to convince them to participate in one final, epic prank. The staff were bubbling with excitement as they watched the events at breakfast unfold, and little did the students notice, they began planning themselves.

Through every class that Mina Potter was in, professors found some way to award her points. Even Flitwick, who was notoriously annoyed with her easy intelligence, awarded her fifteen points for her excellent work with beauty charms. McGonagall awarded her ten points for her 'fine display of advanced human transfiguration', Vongut greeted her with five points for 'defending against the stupidity of teenage boys' as soon as she entered the door, and Madam Hooch didn't even try to cover up her amusement when she awarded Mina five points for just breathing. The points weren't limited to classes, even teachers in the halls awarded her a point or two for any reason they could come up with.

Normally, the rest of the student populace would be angry with such a blatant display of favoritism, except that Madam Pince must have mention the other members of the group, because Alice Max, Severus Snape, the Prewett twins, Darlene Dippet, Janice Knuttlebee, and Lily Evans all found themselves earning odd points throughout the day for seemingly normal tasks. The students had never seen the staff so amused. Even Headmaster Dumbledore put in his fair share drama when he personally walked down to James and Sirius to award them ten points for 'being fine sports', but then patted Mina on the back and whispered, "fifteen points to Ravenclaw for the entertainment."

By the end of the day, the boys got the point: don't prank what you can't handle.

 _ **A.N/ I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. As always, I hope you have a fabulous week. Please review with comments, critiques, and criticisms.**_


	11. Chapter 11

**I still don't own Harry Potter- it's quite a disappointment to wake up and not see millions in my bank account, but alas I live on. Happy Reading.**

 **15 December, 1971**

 **Hogwarts Express**

Classes flew by and soon the students found themselves on the train home, yet again, for Christmas holiday. Once James and Sirius had overcome their embarrassment, they begrudgingly commended Mina on her pranking masterpiece. They were not quite ready to bring her back into the marauder's fold, but they were more than comfortable to pester her to no end with questions as to how she pulled off a prank of such epic scale- however- they found her lips sealed on the manner. They reluctantly let the topic slide, but they were merely biding their time until she was in a more giving mood.

Currently, Mina was seated in a compartment with her colorful array of friends who were all chatting merrily about the upcoming break and various Hogwarts gossip. She couldn't help but look over her carefully cultivated group and smile. Severus- while far from sociable- was occasionally adding snarky quips to the conversation Lily was having with Alice. Alice was still shy, but slowly emerging from her shell- hopefully enough to talk to Frank in the coming years. Lily was her usual bubbly self, and she brought together the highly intellectual students and the fun loving students. Janice had gone off somewhere, so Darlene and Pandora were quietly chatting about their favorite authors. All the while, Mina quietly observed her budding friends from the quick glances she took from the top of her book.

The book she was reading was a disguised book on advanced Arithmancy. At the moment, Mina's current project was figuring out how to modify her time turner to take her forward in time- not to get back to her original time, but to get back from warning Dumbledore of her arrival in 1970. It was looking to be an enormous task that would likely take her years- a thought that both excited her and overwhelmed her.

"Mina?" asked a voice that popped through her unwavering attention to her reading.

She looked over the top of her book to see every head in the compartment turned in her direction.

"Yeah?" She looked around, confused as to who the voice had originated from.

It turned out to be Jamie's head peeking in the compartment door.

"You'd be okay with Sirius, Remus, and Peter coming over for the summer for a bit, right? I forgot to ask."

"Sure. Mum agreed to let me go to Lily and Pandora's houses, so I might not be there anyway."

James grimaced as soon as he realized that Lily's also meant visiting his self-proclaimed enemy- Snape. He couldn't stay upset for more than a fraction of a second, because her response meant his best friends would be visiting. He, however, didn't miss the opportunity to shoot a glare at Severus before closing the door and scampering off to his friends.

"What happened to that sweet brother you talked about our first train ride?" Lily asked- a frown marring her usually perky face.

Mina sighed. This was not the first time she had heard that question. Her response stayed the same. "I don't know why he acts the way he does at Hogwarts -or why he took an usual dislike to Severus."

"Have you tried telling your mum about how he's acting? His pranks are fairly harmless, but the marauders have a weird hatred of Slytherin," Darlene chipped in.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Severus drawled as if he was bored, though Mina had gotten to know him well enough to know that his 'bored' voice usually meant he was interested but didn't want anyone to think less of him for it- or he was just being a cocky bastard.

"I haven't asked him directly because I don't want the confrontation in a place where he can simmer on it. At home, mum will mediate and make sure he doesn't become a complete arse. I haven't told her because I need his trust. I'll see how talking to him myself goes," Mina explained.

"It's probably not James," Pandora spoke, her voice taking an airy tone that attempted to disguise the piercing truth of her words. "He is influenced by Black, and Sirius resents his family- who were Slytherins- for their actions. So, he probably takes out his frustrations on the Slytherins, and James follows because he wants to keep Sirius' friendship."

Every face in the compartment- save one- was that of awe-inspired revelation.

"I refuse to have sympathy for either one of them," Severus sneered.

Mina butted in to calm him down. "I think Pandora was giving us an explanation rather than a reason to permit their actions. It doesn't make what they're doing right, it just gives us an insight to be able to change their minds," she explained with a smile.

Severus gave her a warily look, before resigning with a sigh and slouching back into his seat.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Mina grinned and joked, "Either way, Severus, when I visit Lily we will plan pranks. After all, we can't let their egos get too big, can we?"

His smirk told her that she had succeeded- both in lifting the depressing air and in giving Severus a better childhood.

~oo00oo~

"I can't articulate just how I missed you both," Euphemia murmured in the ears of both of her children while holding them in a tight embrace. "Letters cannot fill the void left by your boisterous personalities."

"We missed you too, mum," Mina whispered back, her heart with the familiar comfort of motherly love.

"Well, no one asked me, but I missed you both as well," Fleamont grumbled jokingly.

The twins detached themselves from their mother, then bounded into the knobbly arms of their eccentric father. He chuckled good-naturedly at their childish antics while giving them a tight hug. Mischievously he whispered, "You may be able to convince your mother to cook her famous beef stew if you pout well enough" into James' ear, which caused the boy to break out into a wide grin.

Mina was amazed to see that in no time at all, the Potter family was back to their normal antics. It was as if no time had passed. James was pulling Mina into his shenanigans while both Euphemia and Fleamont watched with fondness and caution. Before they had even gotten home, James had already convinced Mina to say the floo address in French to see if it would work the same- luckily it did.

Their feet had barely touched the marble of the Potter's fireplace when Pimsy launched herself at the children. "Pimsy has missed young master and mistress," the elf gasped between sniffles. "There was so little to clean," she whined pitifully.

Euphemia, who stepped in right behind the children, let out a tinkling laugh and assured the distraught house elf that Mina and James would come up with more than enough messes for the house elf to clean. Pimsy brightened with the reassuring words, and began shouting out orders to the children. "Pimsy takes trunks. Young ones go to kitchen to have treat. Master needs to take his joint potion. Pimsy sat out articles Mistress wanted on her reading table."

"Thank you, Pimsy!" Mina and James exclaimed at the same time before racing each other to the kitchens in hunt for homemade treats.

Euphemia looked over at her husband with a timeless affection, taking his boney hand in her own. "I love you, darling."

"I love you as well, my sweet."

~oo00oo~

 **20 December, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

"Pimsy? Lily says we're going to make Christmas biscuits today. Do we have any sugar? They're out" Mina called out as she packed her day bag. Euphemia had made a rule that the first five days of vacation, Christmas day, and the last two days of holiday were family only days, so Mina and James were both preparing for their day with their friends. James spent the morning making his room look like a proper teenage mess, and Mina packed her bag to spend the next few nights at Lily's.

Sirius had arrived at eight- sharp, with a wild gleam in his eyes that said he did something to piss off his parents before he left. If his expression wasn't a dead giveaway, the bruise forming on his jaw would say it all. Euphemia and Mina shared a silent conversation in a glance. They didn't mention the bruise, but they offered to let Sirius stay for as long as he wished. Pimsy put bruise cream in the guest beside table. Everyone knew there was nothing by law they could do, but Euphemia would use her charismatic personality to convince Walburga to let Sirius stay longer.

"Mina?" Sirius voice called into her room hesitantly.

Mina was sure she looked like a right mess with her hair in an un-brushed tangle around her ears, her clothes strewn over her bed, and her pajama bottoms still on, but she waved him in anyway. They were eleven, so no one would throw a fit about impropriety before they had even hit puberty. He seemed uncomfortable- shifting from one foot to another while staring intently at his hands.

"Sirius, is everything alright?" she questioned gently while still folding her clothes neatly.

A raging debate played behind his silver eyes-his eyes flickering between wariness and stormy sadness- and she could see the moment when his eyes solidified into resolution.

"Why are you friends with Snape?"

Mina was shocked by his blurted question. She had planned to have "the Slytherin conversation" with Jamie, but she wasn't prepared for Sirius. The surprise threw her off, and she took a minute to collect her thoughts. This conversation may change the timeline, so she needed to be careful.

 _Carefully,_ she began explaining. "Severus is my friend because he has shown me nothing but kindness, and I never had a reason to be anything less than kind in return. I know that Slytherin prejudice is common in Gryffindor, but I met him before we were sorted, and I don't see why an old hat should decide who I can friends with. As long as he is nice to me, I will keep his company." She specifically did not accuse Sirius of anything as putting him on the defensive would not help him understand her point.

"But his friends in Slytherin aren't nice," Sirius pushed.

Mina was already prepared for the topic, so she immediately replied, "Well, he does have to have friends in his own house unless he wants to be picked on even more relentlessly and be wary of sleeping. I don't like his friends, but I know that he doesn't believe in the same things they do, it's just a survival tactic."

"A lot of them have blood prejudice."

Hermione sighed. "I know."

"You don't care?" he asked with curiosity and a bit of anger.

Hermione redirected him. "I don't support blood prejudice, and I know Severus doesn't either. However, I can't change the minds of his other friends. He needs to have those friends, so while I don't like them, I understand why he hangs out with them."

"You're not friends with any of the other Slytherins."

"They haven't been nice to me," she replied simply.

He seemed to accept what she said contemplatively. All Mina could hope is that he could see past his prejudice and not be a bully this time around.

"Well," Mina began- interrupting his thoughts, "I have to get mum. She's going to apparate me to Lily's. If you want, we can talk more when I get back."

He gave her a small smile and replied, "That would be nice. Have fun." Then retreated back to Jamie's room to focus on simpler things: like Quidditch and chocolate frog cards.

~oo00oo~

 **20 December, 1971**

 **Evan's Household- Lily's Bedroom**

"Sev will be over in a couple of minutes. We're going to bake some cookies, then dad is going to take us to see a film," Lily announce while she gave Mina the grand tour of her house. The Evans lived in a brick A-frame on a nice street. Their house wasn't immaculate- it was a untidy in a charming, lived-in sort of way. They looked like the epitome of middle class. Both Petunia and Lily had their own room- though they were small. Lily's room was painted pastel pink. Her narrow bed was pushed against the wall to make room for a nice white, wooden desk and bookcase. Her Hogwarts trunk sat at the foot of her bed with a couple of cuddly toys stacked on top of it. Books were piled everywhere. It reminded Mina of her childhood bedroom.

Lily plopped down onto her bed with the grace of newborn hippopotamus. Tucking her feet underneath herself, she turned to Mina with her best gossip face. "So let's talk boys," Lily gibbered. "You're uncommonly good at avoiding the topic, but now that I have you cornered, I've been dying to ask: What's going on with you and Black?"

Harry's- rather Lily's- piercing emerald eyes were daring her to lie. Mina's mind raced to distract the girl- she really didn't want to talk about eleven year old hormones. Thankfully, her savior came in the form of a sulking teenage boy scurrying in the room.

Severus Snape was a thin man in his later life, but he was exceptionally small as an eleven year old. He was visibly malnourished- his skin was sallow and thin, and his clothes hung off of him as if he was a wire hanger. His black locks hung dull and lifeless in greasy, uncleaned clumps, and the dingy tinge to his baggy trousers and off-white jumper spoke volumes for his access to proper wash. Mina was willing to bet her entire Gringotts vault that beneath his too-large clothing were a few bruises.

While another person may have looked upon the distressed boy with pity, Mina's heart filled with admiration: he survived decades of abuse and managed to become stronger. While he certainly wasn't the most pleasant person to keep company with, he was quick witted and deeply devoted to those that showed him love. Mina hoped that she could change his life for the better.

"Can you tell your father that I really don't want to learn rugby?" Severus groaned as he settled himself next to Lily on her twin bed. Lily giggled prettily, and they fell into an obviously comfortable routine. Severus laid his head in her lap and she brushed through his hair with a special comb that she had on her bedside. Severus' eyes were closed, and Mina wasn't entirely sure he realized that she was there until he cracked open an eye and smirked. "Don't let me interrupt you two. Go on and keep chatting about frivolous girly things."

Mina humphed, but Lily looked at her expectantly. She should have known that Severus wouldn't save her from Lily's curiosity, he could never deny the girl a damn thing. Mina groaned again, but Lily's attention did not waver, so she begrudgingly told her friends about her feelings for Sirius.

Lily held onto the subject long enough that they were still talking about Sirius while they were baking- much to Severus' displeasure. Mina would cast occasional glares at him when Lily wasn't looking. After thirty minutes of hearing about Black and sitting through Mina's embarrassment, he finally mouthed "I'm sorry".

"So, basically you like him in those rare moments he's being mature, but you wouldn't consider going out with him until he's at least seventeen?" Lily asked incredulously. Batter was stuck in her hair and on her nose, and she hadn't noticed Severus lightly sprinkling flour on the back of her head . Overall, it was a picture that was hard to take seriously.

Hermione fought back giggles and replied with a short, "yes."

Lily rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed. "I'll never understand you, Mina Potter."

Severus saw his opening, and despite the cookie dough filling his mouth, he butted in, "So, you promised pranks, and I'm collecting."

That was enough to have Lily ranting about "Mina's arrogant toerag of a twin" and the marauder's antics. Severus happily joined in with his own imaginative punishments, and the friends chatted about anything and everything until Lily's father popped in to take them to the film. They saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which sparked more pranking ideas which they jittered about into the night.

"Maybe I'll turn Potter into a blueberry!" Lily grinned wickedly at the thought.

Severus looked at the alarm clock on Lily's bedside and let out a distressed sigh- his sadness at the time overcoming the tantalizing thought of James Potter in blueberry form. "I have to go home," he mumbled and reluctantly pulled himself from the safety and comfort of Lily's bedroom floor.

Mina could see the pained look on Lily's face as she knew perfectly well what Severus was going home to, so Mina spoke up. "Lily, do you think your parents would be okay with a sleepover? I don't want to presume, but it's dark, and if Sev slept on the couch, we could have a bit more time to research spells that could turn a person into fruit," Mina offered innocently. Severus' eyes darted to her's suspiciously; he knew what she was doing, but he wouldn't object to her saving him.

Lily's face sparked with mischief, and she shot up from her bed and ran downstairs shouting, "Mum! Mum! Can Sev sleep over?"

The soft murmurs of discussion from downstairs nearly drowned out Severus' soft 'Thank you'.

Mina smiled gently, then let the matter go, pulling Severus into a discussion about Potions- his favorite subject. He fell into easy conversation about the properties of aconite with only a slight twinkle in his eye showing his gratitude. Lily came back later to cheerfully show Severus to his pull out bed and pajamas- curtesy of her father's closet. The three friends stayed up talking and playing board games until Lily's mother forcibly turned off the lights.

This reoccured for three consecutive nights, each one happier than the last, until Mina went back to Potter Manor for Christmas Eve.

~oo00oo~

 **24 December, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

"Minie!" James squealed barreling toward his twin at a sprint. He had been about to go outside to play Quidditch with Sirius and Remus when the fire whooshed green and his favorite-and only- sister walked through.

Mina's bags were tossed to the ground, and her brother taken up in her arms. She had never fully understood George's emptiness after losing Fred, but holding her twin and knowing that in her time, he was gone, filled her with all-consuming grief and left her lost. That was why she clung to him no matter the thoughts of their friends. She had missed him dearly despite being away for a mere four days.

Sirius snorted when James pulled away from Mina, and surprisingly James' response was a simple, "bugger off." To which Pimsy popped into the room, flicked Jamie on the ear, and scolded, "No rudeness, Young Master.," then, promptly popped away. The scene was so absurd, Mina melted into a puddle of giggles. Though, she did managed to sputter out, "I love you too, Jamie."

Despite the odds looks Sirius and Remus were giving them, James and Mina pretended not to notice and headed for the backyard.

"Now that you're here, we can have teams!" Jamie yammered on his way to the broomshed. "The twin chasers are back again!"

"No no no. It's James and Remus against Mina and me. There is no way you both are playing together," Sirius butted in pulling his broom from its holder on the wall.

In the end, James convinced Sirius that it wouldn't be fun if the 'twin chasers' were split up, because they knew how each other played so well. This logic also lead to Mina and James winning by a landslide against the other two boys with Sirius grumbling, "Next time, you're splitting up."

The rest of the afternoon was spent warming themselves by the drawing room fire place from near-hypothermia and sharing stories. James had touted to his other friends that Mina was 'the best story-teller', and when Sirius rolled his eyes at the notion, she found herself pushed into the spotlight by her brother's insistence that Sirius was wrong. "Tell them about the break from Gringotts!" James encouraged.

Mina sighed and looked around, but saw no alternative, so she began telling Harry's future dad, godfather, and teacher about the time 'the Golden Trio' trouped in and out of the most secure bank in the world. Despite Sirius' earlier nonchalance, he found himself enraptured by a story so vivid that he had to ponder if an eleven year old girl could have lived it. He- thankfully- reached the conclusion that no, Mina could not have broken out of Gringotts at the mere age of eleven, but the story set the stage for a tradition of many years. After Mina had finished her story, the boys asked for more, but she said no- they would get another story next year.

~oo00oo~

 **Christmas Day, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

Mina was up with the sun. Not even twenty one years of age, fighting in a war, time traveling back twenty seven years, and de-aging herself into a child could squash the child-like excitement she felt for Christmas. There was snow on the ground, a snuggly warm fire lit, and the faintest smell of Pimsy's Christmas biscuits. The only thing missing was Jamie- who promptly barged into the room upon her very thought.

"Good! You're up!" He beamed, plunking himself down onto her bed and snuggling under the covers until all but his messy head was visible. "This year," he said, self-indulging anticipation lighting his hazel eyes, "We get presents from our friends _and_ mum and dad."

Sirius and Remus had both left the day before to spend time with their families. The fear and dread in Sirius' eyes had been too much for Mina to handle, so she ran back to her room with a quick 'goodbye' and plotted ways to rid him of his parents. Those ideas lay in a warded notebook in her top desk drawer. Her plans ranged from creative- yet improbable to risky- but doable. For the time being, she planned on talking with Euphemia about convincing Walburga that Sirius should stay at the Potter's for the majority of his breaks.

"I hate that Pimsy doesn't let us have our presents until eight," James grumbled, his body vibrating with energy despite the dopy, comfortable look on his face.

"You know what we can do?" Mina hinted slyly. James' head shot up, mischief and hope in his eyes. "We could do some creative redecorating."

"We can't use our wands," Jamie sighed, his mood deflating back into his jittery 'pre-Christmas' slump.

"We don't need wands," Mina declared, pulling herself out of her warm covers. Jamie's eyes followed her movements suspiciously- he wasn't entirely sure of her argument. Putting on her slippers and house coat, she added, "Plus, anything we can't do, Pimsy can."

In typical wizarding fashion, James had forgotten about the powerful magic that the house elves possessed. His awkward, lanky body scrambled out of bed, kicking her bedding into a wad, and promptly falling into a heap on the floor. Mina tried to contain her laughter, but James' disgruntled huff was the last push to melt her into a puddle of giggles.

"You...You...," Mina sputtered, but was overtaken by another wave of mirth. James glared at her, but his eyes held no heat. He slowly detangled himself from the sheet viper that wrapped around his leg and made his way over to his incapacitated sister. Mina dried her tears, then took his outstretched hand which promptly drug her toward the front sitting room.

~oo00oo~

By the time Fleamont and Euphemia had wandered in from their quarters at a quarter to eight, they found their children in the most precarious situation. James was holding Mina's feet as she wrapped a brilliant gold ribbon around the chandelier and Pimsy was standing beside the two using magic to stabilize Mina and to charm the ribbon so that it would intermittently release golden sparks. James was complaining that Mina was too heavy, Mina was humming a tune happily, and Pimsy was grinning as if she had won the World Cup.

When the trio was finished and Mina was safely on the ground, they finally noticed the elderly parents in the room, and their reactions were the best Christmas present a parent could receive. Pimsy squeaked in fright and popped away. Mina looked vaguely guilty, and James smiled innocently.

Fleamont broke the silence first with a joke. "Is it too much to hope that you two will sleep until eight?"

Mina smirked and cheekily replied, "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed."(*)

Fleamont chuckled heartily, then engulfed his two children in a warm hug. "Merry Christmas. Just don't burn down the house. Your mother is rather fond of it," the elder man whispered conspiratorially, winking at his wife.

"We can't promise that," James stage whispered, also glancing toward his mother's amused expression.

The family then proceeded to open their piles of presents. Pimsy brought in the presents Mina and James had received from their friends plus her own present for the children. They both tore into Pimsy's present first. Both Mina and James found a large scarf made with yarn matching their Hogwarts houses, the difference from the scarves the other children wore was in the small knitted Potter crests decorating the bottom edges of the scarves. In return Mina and James gave Pimsy a joint gift which she opened with trembling hands and tears in her eyes. The little elf delicately pulled the wrapping back from large hand carved wooden box that held a new pair of knitting needles and plenty of room for yarn.

"Young Masters are too kind," Pimsy sniffled before grabbing the twins into a fierce hug.

"We love you, Pimsy," Mina murmured into the elf's large ear.

As quick as the moment came, it ended with Pimsy muttering about many things to do and popping away with her knitting box.

The twins received loads of Honeydukes candy from their friends, Quidditch supplies for James, and books for Mina, but a few gifts in particular stood out among the others.

One of the presents to the twins from their parents was a pair of Quidditch jerseys, but they weren't for the twins, but rather a Ravenclaw jersey for Euphemia and a Gryffindor jersey for Fleamont. The jerseys came with a promise to come see at least one game a season. The sentiment wasn't lost on either of the kids as they gazed up at their parents with adoration and thanked them whole heartily.

James, unbeknownst to anyone else, had sent Lily a written proposal and a silver and ruby ring to match. Luckily, Lily sent the ring back with a well worded note to both James and his parents. James turned faintly pink at the words 'arrogant toerag' and 'insolent flobberworm'. Euphemia gave Mina a quick glance and at Mina's reassuring nod, the older woman calmed down marginally. A family talk followed immediately about how to properly court a witch. "You can't just send her family heirlooms, James," Fleamont reprimanded sternly.

The final surprise was Mina's gift from Sirius. Thinking it was just another box of sugar quills, she tore into the package only to gasp at what was underneath the paper. It was a black dog cuddly toy with a little note buried beside it. The note read: For bad dreams -Sirius Black. Mina buried her face in the soft fur to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Very few people had ever taken the effort to comfort her during her nightmares, and it meant the world to her that he cared.

The rest of the evening enjoying time together as a family. Fleamont and Mina played chess, and Mina would have lost terribly if it wasn't for the near silent whisperings of Euphemia. James and Mina showed their parents the full modifications they had made earlier- which included a tickling garland and lights around all of the portraits who seemed faintly amused with the twinkling lights. The night was concluded with Fleamont leading the family in off-tune Christmas carols as they sat by the fire with mugs of cider.

When they had finally made it to bed, Mina slept peacefully: her soft puppy wrapped in her arms.

(*quote from Alexander Pope).

 **I know it has been entirely too long since I have posted. I've been in a bit of a writer's slump. I will endeavor to post more frequently now that I'm in the States and no hurricanes are actively hitting me. However, as much as I like to update often, I would rather wait and write quality chapters that I can be proud of.**

 **Like always, please review with comments, critiques, and criticisms. Believe it or not, I like hearing what I am not getting right- it helps me improve.**

 **I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and you all are safe.**


	12. Chapter 12

**28 December, 1971**

 **Fawley Cottage**

Mina and Pandora were sitting at the Fawley's kitchen table chatting happily while they peeled carrots for the evening meal. Their friendship was unique in the sense that there was no secrets about having secrets. Pandora was aware that Mina was not eleven, and Mina was aware that Pandora _saw_ things, but they didn't push it further. It was a comfortable friendship. Neither girl felt the need to explain themselves or their quirks. It made the days they spent together during the Holidays relaxing.

"I'm having trouble keeping in the background at school. I need to have a good relationship with my brother and his friends, but I don't want _some people_ remembering me. Any ideas?" Mina asked, worrying on her lip. The full consequences of her prank war came in the form of many more Christmas gifts than she had expected. The implication worried her.

Pandora contemplated the situation, but her expression held none of the anxiety that Mina carried. "I think that so far, your pranks didn't really put you in the spotlight as much as the marauders. So long as you don't keep up the bright purple hair or having every teacher hand you house points, everyone will gloss over you. I'm assuming you picked your friends based off of their presence later in your life, so just keep to your current friends like any normal student would," Pandora offered with a light smile.

Mina blinked owlishly. "How do you always make everything sound so easy?"

"It's a talent," Pandora winked, then turned her carrot around which had a little face carved in it that stuck out its tongue at Mina.

Mina stuck her own tongue out in return, but she couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled out of her. "What do you think about making _changes_?" She asked as nonchalantly as one could when discussing altering a timeline that included the takedown of an evil Dark Lord.

"You know," Pandora began airily as if she was talking about some off-handed topic, "Changes are in the eye of the beholder. It's something that I've never seen discussed in literature. What happens if someone outside of the beholder experiences a change? I would say that your very presence is a change, and the world hasn't ended."

Mina smiled at her friend's wisdom. Feeling free and a tad playful, she turned her own artfully carved carrot around to face Pandora. The girl's tinkling laughter rang like the softest bells. "War has been declared on less," the blonde joked, transfiguring another root into a miniature sword.

"I shall never die!" Mina exclaimed in her best carrot-warrior impression. She tapped her wand against the side of her Xenophillius shaped carrot to give him a heart shaped shield which sent them both into rounds of carrot fights and humor.

The girls continued to talk freely knowing they were in good company to share anything that popped into their minds. Mrs. Fawley used their carrots in a lovely Irish stew that the girls ate by the fire in the company of Pandora's pet rabbits who had the hilarious habit of meowing.

~oo00oo~

 **New Year's Eve, 1971**

 **Potter Manor**

The occupants of Potter Manor were slowly stretching awake- except one. Mina Potter was plotting- she had been for two hours. She needed the perfect way to confront her brother, and she decided that over breakfast was her best bet. He would have the entire day to get mad before Fleamont would put him back in his place for being so unkind to his darling sister. By the time they would be back on the Hogwarts Express, all would be well. Hopefully.

Once eight o'clock rolled around, Mina made her way to the dining room in a purposefully leisurely pace. Her dress flowed like water around her ankles, and she glided into the room with the grace of a true pureblood- Euphemia would have nothing less. Jamie was sitting at his spot sleepily munching on an egg.

"Jamie?"

Sleep rings shone under his hazel eyes, but they still lit up at the sight of his twin. Though they had only been 'twins' for two years, he felt like it had always been that way. That is the same reason he followed their bond and became immediately worried at the nervous energy coming from her. "Minie?" he greeted warily.

"Why are you so mean to the Slytherins?" Mina asked outright. She had argued with herself for hours, and reached the conclusion that a Gryffindor approach would work better than more subtle probing in this instance.

Shock rippled through the bond nearly as quickly as it showed on his face. He had not expected anyone to question his actions. After all, Minie had not said anything the whole term. Mostly, the shock was because he had never thought about his dislike for Slytherin- it felt inherit.

"Ummm," he started, trying to find a coherent thought. "They're all mean," he finally said lamely.

"You know that's not a good reason," Mina chided softly.

Jamie's shock quickly wore off and turned into defensiveness. "What does it even matter? You're not a Slytherin!" Jamie bit, his face slightly pink.

Mina kept her calm knowing that he was merely an eleven year old and didn't understand that his actions would have long term consequences. "No, but Severus is, and you go out of your way to pick on him. He's my friend," Mina stated without malice.

Mina could tell that she stepped wrong when Jamie's face flushed further and his eyes lit up with fire. "It's not my fault the slimy git is your friend! Maybe you should have better friends!" he exclaimed.

"Now Jamie," Mina started gently, but a growl from James put an end to her calm reasoning. Mina's temper rose to the occasion, however, before she could say something they both would regret, Fleamont strolled into the dining room.

James did not see his father, so he continued on his tirade without questioning his sister's sudden silence. "You're suppose to be on my side! Slytherins are worthless tossers- the whole lot of them! Your friend Snivellus-"

"That's enough," Fleamont ordered sternly from behind James' chair. The young boy immediately snapped his jaw shut and the color drained from his face. "I don't know where I went wrong teaching you," Fleamont admonished- his voice not raised, but ringing with disappointment, "but I certainly did not teach you to be so disrespectful to both your sister and her friend."

Fleamont sat down beside James, his eyes shining with worry and a hint of sadness. "What is going on between you and the Slytherins?" he inquired softly.

Guilt washed through James as he looked at his father's face and knew that he couldn't possibly tell his dad about the pranks he had pulled at school. His father had taught James the fine art of pranking, but he knew he had crossed a line. "Pranks are funny- not cruel," his father used to remind him while they were tilting every picture frame in the house just a tad to the right.

When James didn't answer, but merely hung his head and looked away silently, Fleamont turned to Mina. "What about you, little bug? Will you tell me what is going on between your brother and the Slytherins?"

"That's Jamie's story to tell," Mina replied simply.

Fleamont sighed wearily. "Come James. Let's talk in my office."

~oo00oo~

"Mina?"

Mina was lounging on the bench seat in her room, continuing her animagus meditations while her brother was being interrogated in their father's study. She felt horrible that he was getting a tongue lashing, but it was a lesson that he needed to learn. Hopefully, this time his bullying wouldn't drive Severus into a friendless depression that would swallow up his entire adult life.

Mina walked herself out of the intricate palace she built for her meditations within her occulmency shields. Upon opening her eyes to the real world, she was shocked by the boy standing next to her. "Sirius?"

Instead of answering, the young boy seated himself opposite her on the window seat and stared out the window longingly, collecting his thoughts. Mina waited patiently as he gathered himself, and when he finally turned back to her, there was sadness in his eyes.

"I've never told anyone this," Sirius whispered, barely above the sound of the wind outside. "But before I came to Hogwarts, I already knew a lot of Dark curses. My father would have us practice them on the elves. Anytime I would try to help them or if I would cry, father would bring out his cane. I was so afraid to go into Slytherin because I know my father would use any friends I made in Slytherin to make sure I was being 'a proper pureblood heir'. Every time I see Slytherin green, I think of my father's office where he taught us the majority of our 'lessons'."

Mina's eyes were welling up with tears, but she stayed silent and waited for Sirius to continue. Her only act of comfort was grabbing a hold of his hand, and even then she wasn't sure if it was to comfort herself or Sirius. Her heart was breaking and the tears were being filled with a startling need for vengeance.

After a ragged breath, Sirius continued, still refusing to look in her eyes. "I know all Slytherins aren't bad. My cousin 'Dromeda is the best of us all. Narcissa is a bit of a chit, but she's fun if you really dig deep." His lips tilted up as he lingered on a particularly amusing memory of Narcissa playing with her dollies as a kid. However, he quickly turned somber once more. "I knew calling someone a mudblood was wrong even when I was only around my family. But it never really hit home until I met Lily. I couldn't imagine anyone calling her such a horrible word. When I saw a group of Slytherins sneer at her and call her a mudblood, I couldn't fathom how someone couldn't step in and stand up for her. She didn't know what it meant, but Snape did. I could see it in his eyes. How could he not stand up for her?"

Sirius finally met Mina's eyes, his own were hard as steel and challenging. The expression took her off guard for a moment before she caught herself. "Sirius. You are a Gryffindor through and through," she said with warmth in her tone. "You face danger head on, you're courageous, and you're not sneaky to save your life." Sirius tried to hide his smile, but it welled up, and he found himself relaxing. "Slytherin runs a bit differently. I imagine Severus would confront his friends in a indirect manner when they were alone, as opposed to you who would start a duel right then and there. Severus isn't outwardly brave like you are. He will do anything Lily asks of him and protect her to his last dying breath, but he is not the type to do that in grand gestures. He lets comments in public slide, but pays them back when they least expect it. I imagine Severus believes he's protecting Lily by granting her protection from the other side."

"What do you believe?"

Mina smiled at Sirius for catching the small hint she had dropped. "I believe that Severus will eventually learn that it is much more efficient to protect the people you love in a more direct manner," Mina said with a foreboding air that Sirius quickly picked up on. However, instead of mentioning Mina's hint, Sirius lapsed back into silence. The two sat comfortably, holding hands, and watching the snow drift through the sky. It wasn't cold enough for the snow to stay, but it painted a soothing scene for the two children to take comfort in.

Without warning, Sirius laid his head in Mina's lap and kept watching the snow- not noticing her shock turn into affection. Mina took advantage of the rare moment of closeness and combed her fingers through the boy's silky smooth locks. He would rub his head against her hand when her nails ran over a particularly sensitive spot on his scalp. He looked like a puppy, and the very thought made Mina quietly chuckle at her inside joke. He paid her humor no heed; he let the moment pass without comment in exchange for the blissful comfort of her existence.

~oo00oo~

A while later, James came slinking into Mina's room to apologize, and found both his sister and best friend fast asleep in each other's arms curled up on the window seat. Sirius had his arms wrapped around one of Mina's legs and his head was resting on her lower stomach. Mina's face was smooshed against the window, and she had one hand in Sirius' hair and the other dropped beside her. Sirius was snoring like a lion, and James was honestly shocked Mina didn't wake up from the sheer volume.

Despite his softness for his sister, James really needed to talk to Sirius, so he did the only thing he knew to wake up Sirius.

"Sirius!" James screeched in his best Walburga impression while stomping on the floor like an elephant. "You better be up when I get in there!"

Sirius bolted upright, jostling Mina in the process, and scanned the room nervously searching for his mother before his eyes landed on his best friend. "James! What the hell?!" Sirius exclaimed

Mina looked amused at the situation and didn't even comment as both of the boys wandered out of the room- arguing- without a goodbye. She didn't mind. James and Sirius would need to talk out their issues with Slytherin, and if all went well, Harry wouldn't have to be ashamed of his father's actions as a child.

Nuzzling back down into a comfortable position, Mina walked back into the massive mansion that was her occulmency shields. She felt so close to finding her animagus form. It had to be somewhere in the extensive basement where she kept her innermost thoughts.

~oo00oo~

 **2 January, 1972**

 **Kings Cross- Platform 9 3/4**

There were a few tears on the platform as parents watched their children, all wrapped up in their new Christmas sweaters, boarding the bright red Hogwarts Express to go back to school for another term. The Potters were giving out their final hugs before Mina and James joined their friends on the train for a long trip back to school.

"We'll be back for Easter break," Mina promised as she squeezed her mother in a tight hug.

Euphemia smiled. "You will love our townhouse in Marseille. Plus, we haven't had a proper shopping trip in ages," she sighed dramatically and winked at Mina, then took her daughter's face with gentle hands and softly said, "I will miss you, ma poulette."

Mina grinned. "I will miss you too, ma poule."

Euphemia laughed prettily before reluctantly letting her go and handing Mina off to the waiting arms of her loving father.

Fleamont pulled her into warm embrace that felt like protection and home. "I will do it today," he murmured in her ear. Mina beamed and Fleamont pulled her away for one last look to memorize her angelical face before he faced both of his children and declared in a false stern tone, "Off with you hooligans! We need to repair the house before you two trounce back for Spring Holidays!"

The twins laughed at their eccentric father, but followed his orders and nearly skipped onto the train to sit with their friends and eat chocolate frogs until they were going to puke. While James had forgiven Mina for the trouble he had gotten into, he hadn't changed his opinions of Slytherins- either out of spite or ignorance, so the two split ways as soon as Mina ran into Severus. The train ride was lonely- even among friends.

~oo00oo~

 **13 February, 1972**

 **Hogwarts- Ravenclaw Common Room**

Mina walked into the common room after a long day of classes. The massive, circular room was a deep, silvery blue with the setting sun which penetrated through the heavy, opulent hangings. The indigo Victorian couches were piled with students. Some were quietly curled into armchairs reading, while others were chatting with friends about homework or the Hogsmeade trip that was scheduled that weekend. It was a Monday, so Mina had Astronomy at midnight, and she wanted to relax before she had the class. Weaving her way in and out of desks and couches, she was almost to the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory when a voice called out. "Hey Mina!"

Mentally begging for a short conversation, Mina turned to see Goldstein waving from his spot beside the fire. "Hey George," Mina greeted with a tired smile. "Why weren't you in Herbology?"

The young boy blushed, unconsciously rubbed his face with embarrassment, and replied, "Rosier decided that I would look better with great big boils."

A wicked voice in Mina's mind said _Looks like Rosier has a prank in his future_. Mina felt a twinge of pity for her friend. George was not the best dueler- nor was he known for being an aggressive sort, so many of the Slytherin boys had taken him as an easy target for hexes because of his pacifistic ways. "We will get him back," Mina assured the boy.

Right as she was about to turn away, George piped up. "Oh, Mina! McGonagall wanted to see you. She said something about your brother."

Mina immediately paled, the color draining from her face and pooling into anxiety that gripped her stomach. Images of Jamie hurt in the hospital wing flashed through her mind, and terror tore into her heart. Not even thinking to ask Goldstein if he had seen Jamie in the hospital wing, she raced out of Ravenclaw tower to Minerva's rooms. The castle, as if sensing her panic, stilled the staircases and allowed Mina to get to McGonagall's door uninhibited. Not taking time to catch her breath, Mina knocked frantically until the door creaked open to reveal Minerva's worried face.

"Are you okay, dear?" The older woman asked, laying a comforting hand on Mina's shoulder.

Mina looked up at her mentor confused. "George told me you needed to see me about Jamie. Is he hurt?"

Minerva's face flashed with annoyance, and she rubbed the exasperation out of her face. "No. James is unharmed. I expressly told Mr. Goldstein that there was no injury," McGonagall grumbled and rubbed the crease between her brows as if she could rub away the exasperation. "Your brother was caught hexing a Slytherin student in the halls. I called you here because I find myself in the rare position of having someone with more insight decide his punishment."

Mina balked internally- Minerva was asking _her_ to come up with a punishment. It was one of those moments where Mina realized that despite her twelve year old body, she was twenty- a twenty year old adult that could advise other adults. "I think you should contact mum and dad, and give him a detention studying with the Slytherin. He needs to learn that Slytherins are not bad people," Mina said decisively after some thought. It was a harsher punishment than regularly given, and Jamie would be horrified to have their parents contacted, but he needed to learn early that prejudice was not okay.

Minerva was impressed with Mina's no-nonsense approach to James' punishment. She reasoned that James' treatment of Slytherins made an impact on the future, because she could not see the girl handing out such a harsh punishment otherwise. "Do you have a preference for the Slytherin he serves detention with?"

Mina tossed around the idea of pairing James with Severus, but it was thrown out quickly. Severus seemed to hold a special place in Jamie's heart as 'Undesirable Number One' for his closeness to Lily. It was a situation that would be better solved slowly and with care. Mina scored her memory to think of any decent people who were in Slytherin house in the seventies. "What about Lynne Selwyn? My brother couldn't be that mean to a girl, and Lynne is the most outwardly tame Slytherin," Mina offered.

Minerva offered Mina a smile. "I think Miss Selwyn will teach your brother well," the older woman praised, but switched back to her serious persona within a flash. "Now," she commanded, "I think we should have your lesson tonight as to not raise suspicion about your presence in my chambers. How are your meditations coming?"

Mina groaned at her latest frustration. "I still don't know my form. I swear to Morgana that it is just teasing me. I can feel it peripherally, but it never comes close enough for me to see," she grumbled. Magic usually came fairly easily to her, and it was unusual and unequivocally annoying that her animagus form seemed so out of reach. Supposedly, it should merely be her Patronus- which she had mastered a while ago, but the bloody animal seemed to be out-running her.

Minerva's brow scrunched as she contemplated the situation her apprentice was in. While she had been calming Mina through her impatience at her animagus meditations, Minerva too thought that her form would appear faster due to her magical strength and Patronus. It was a quandary she was determined to solve, and Minerva found herself wandering toward her bookshelf for reference. She pulled an old, loved tome off the shelf and began flipping through absent-mindedly searching for an answer. Suddenly a thought raced pasted almost too quickly for her to grasp. "Mina, have you felt any major shift within yourself?" she implored.

Memories flashed across Mina's consciousness. Time traveling back 28 years. Becoming Mina Potter. Meeting Jamie and knowing she could never let him die. Meeting young Sirius Black. "How recently?" Mina asked faintly, still overwhelmed with memories- the feeling of Sirius running his fingers through her hair- Jamie's snores in the morning- Severus giving her an awkward, yet meaningful hug.

"You have a point," Minerva relented almost humorously. "An animagus form is a representation of your soul. If you have had any major changes in your being recently, it will have to adjust," she mused quietly while still flipping rapidly through pages before landing on just the right passage. "This gives a rather extensive list of possibilities," Minerva enthused, directing Mina to the passage she was pointing at.

"While the animagus form is unchanging upon completion of the transformation, during meditations, the form may be unstable if the wizard has undergone fundamental changes around the time of meditations. Fundamental changes could include: losing a bonded one, adoption, becoming bonded, finding a soulmate, great tragedy, or having a child. Major life events have the ability to alter who we are at a soul level, and thus change the form of the animagus." -An Animagi Guide by Holdifer Higgle.

"It appears you fit into at least two of those categories," Minerva mused.

Mina kept reading down the page, but there was no mention of a magical fix to her animagus problem. "I understand why now, but how do we fix it?" Mina worried, chewing on her bottom lip. Books had served her well for almost the entirety of her life, and although she knew that not all answers were found in the written word, she still found herself disappointed.

Minerva looked at her as if she was overlooking a massive, purple elephant staring her in the face. "You must come to terms with changes. You have essentially become a new person, and you need to accept the person you are and the role you play in relation to others," McGonagall explained as if it was the most simple concept- which, admittedly, she should have thought of. However, she knew she had accepted her place in the Potter family, finally, and she had yet to finish mourning the losses during the war, but she didn't delude herself into believing that it didn't happen.

"But I've already come to terms with the war, time traveling, and becoming Mina Potter," Mina mumbled, deep in thought. Suddenly, the memory of Sirius smiling up at her on the train appeared in her mind. She remembered the shift she felt within her- a feeling almost as if her soul had finally settled into place. Minerva's words pulled her out of her reverie.

"Maybe seeing people who were dead in your time has brought back up memories," McGonagall offered gently. "I suggest you give it two more weeks while focusing on living in the present."

Mina gave her a weak smile and hoped the older woman could not read her thoughts at the moment. She couldn't imagine what her mentor would think if Mina told her about the strange feelings she had around Sirius Black. Luckily for Mina, Minerva went straight into a lesson on magical threading which Mina threw herself into in a desperate attempt to ignore her feelings. She missed the knowing smile the came to Minerva's face when her apprentice left for the evening, off to Astronomy. "Poor girl is in denial," Minerva reflected while sipping tea on her couch. "She'll come 'round soon enough."

~oo00oo~

 **Hogwarts- Astronomy Tower**

"Mina," a voice that made her heart race whispered in her ear as she moved her telescope to view the storm appearing on Europa. She shoved down all of the feelings that the voice induced in her, and replied shortly, "Sirius, we're in class."

His presence didn't go away, but rather he went into a hushed explanation of Europa's origin. "Europa was the mother of the three judges of the Underworld: Sarpedon, Minos, and Rhadamanthus which she had with Zeus after he seduced her in the form of a white bull and abducted her. She then met Asterion which she later married. She was the daughter of Agenor and Arigrope, and she had two brothers: Cadmus and Cilix-"

"Actually, she is Agenor's granddaughter according to the Illiad," Mina interrupted with a grin on her face. Sirius was not a particularly studious person, but he absolutely hated being corrected on anything to do with Astronomy. He believed that the only good thing that came from his childhood was a superior knowledge of the stars and their stories, and it annoyed him to no end when she would butt in with her "literary trash". She found picking at him to be a most enjoyable past time.

He growled from behind her, "Homer was a madman that made up his own version of history to impress birds, but even they saw through his utter rubbish." Mina could almost recite his 'Anti-Homer' speech from memory. "Wizards have much better records than those idiotic, superstitious muggles of the time." I wasn't until a soft giggle escaped Mina's pursed lips that he realized she was merely taking the mickey out of him.

"I'll get you for that," threatened softly, but she could tell there was no bite in his words.

Mina looked back at him briefly with an incredulous expression. "Do I need to remind you what happens when you prank me?" she reprimanded with a lilt of humor in her voice.

There was a brief pause, and before Mina could egg him on any further, Professor Xenakis started assigning them homework to map the movement of Jupiter and its moons- extra credit for any background history given. Before she released them for the evening, she made sure to remind them that the Astronomy Tower was not to be used for a late-night Valentine's Day snog.

As the class filed out down the winding stairs, Sirius pulled Mina aside and stuffed a note into her hand before racing down to catch up with the rest of the Marauders. Mina continued her decent while unfolding the parchment to reveal Sirius' perfect script.

"Mina,

Look out for an owl tomorrow morning. No pranks- promise.

-Sirius Orion Black III"

Mina eyed the letter warily, but decided to save judgement for the next morning. She was exhausted from her Transfiguration lesson and worrying herself over her animagus form, so she made the slow trudge across the school to Ravenclaw Tower with only thoughts of a warm bed keeping her walking.

 **A.N./ I know it has been way too long since I have updated. I have finally finished my degree, and I'm in the process of moving. I am not giving up on this story- promise. I write in bursts, and recently I have been writing the end of this story. Long story short, I am a disorganized mess, and I hope you stick around to see the story in its entirety. I hope you have a lovely week, and please feel free to review with criticisms, critiques, or comments.**


	13. Chapter 13

**14 February, 1972**

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

"Let me see that note again," Darlene insisted, pulling the folded parchment out off Mina's grasp.

It was early in the morning. Much of the rest of the school was still happily asleep, but Darlene had insisted before they went to bed the night before that they needed to discuss the note in the morning. Pandora gleefully agreed despite her hatred of mornings for the sheer entertainment value that inevitably followed the interactions between Sirius and Mina. Janice was lightly snoring from behind the curtains of her four poster bed, as she believed beauty sleep was necessary for the onslaught of valentines she would receive.

Mina sighed as Darlene read over the letter for the third time that morning. "He is probably going to make some fan-fare over giving me expensive chocolates, then ask for help with his potions essay," she reasoned. Logically, Mina knew that grand gestures of romance was not a pastime of twelve year old boys, but her roommates begged to differ.

"Sirius is utterly besotted with you. We see how he flirts with you through the entire Astronomy class," Darlene explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mina glanced over at Pandora with a pleading pout for the young girl to stop her misery at the hands of yet another discussion into her love life, but Pandora merely smiled. "You know, Ravenclaws are known for being observant, not thick," Pandora commented with a Slytherin smirk glinting in her eye. Mina didn't know how the girl knew, but she was positive that the sneaky blonde was teasing at her Gryffindor tendencies. Damn her.

Mentally throwing up her hands, Mina muttered, "Fine. He seems to take an interest in me. Are you happy?" Prepubescent children were truly more inquisitive, relentless, and annoying than Death Eaters. Mina wasn't blind to Sirius' constant affection, but she wasn't as daft as the girls before her to believe that the boy was in love with her. Sirius was a naturally flirty twelve year old which she knew would become a flirty thirty year old. She didn't expect his attention to be solely centered around her. Yes, she was pretty sure he felt the same soul-deep connection that she did when she looked in his eyes the first train ride, but he was young. A lad of his age wasn't thinking about marriage and growing old together, he was thinking about Quidditch, pranks, and worrying over getting detention with Pringle. Mina would know- this was her second go around with puberty.

The two girls chattered on as they dragged Mina down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Darlene was a closet romantic and adored the idea that Sirius was pining after Mina and nearly overflowed with anticipation for the daily owls to arrive. Mina didn't know how she achieved such knowledge, since she had been with Darlene since Astronomy class, but the tan girl bubbled, "I heard from George that was told by Amos that overheard Frank talking about how Sirius said you were the prettiest girl at Hogwarts. I don't usually believe everything Goldstein says, but Amos never tells bad gossip."

Pandora, meanwhile was becoming increasingly witty as time bore on. "You know, I saw some Derblefluffs leaking out of Sirius' ears the other day. He must have had a really muddled mind last night because they usually love his big head. It's quite roomy. But you know, the Astronomy tower is beautiful at night, and I can see why he would lose his Derblefluffs over it's dazzling architecture," the blonde rambled off airily as she sipped her morning tea delicately. "I'm sure the intense focus he has on you right now will have Derblefluffs filling the room. They do hate single minded focus." While Pandora's voice sounded nearly the same as her future daughter's, Mina had become more adept at listening to subtle cues in the light lit of her voice and knew that Pandora was struggling admirably with laughter threatening to rise out of her chest.

True to her word, Sirius was sitting across the hall at Gryffindor table staring at her with barely controlled anticipation. It was close to the look that the Weasley twins would wear when they were close to pulling one over on Ginny. His expression unsettled her, and she fully planned on convincing one of her mates to open up whatever he sent to her. He even went so far as to wink from across the hall with a goofy grin on his face. Overall, Mina was disquieted as she waited for the morning mail.

While Darlene's chatter seemed to be quieting down, the rest of the hall was just waking up, and the jabbering voices only got louder when the roaring of beating wings flooded the Great Hall. Mina, sooner than she had wished, found herself face to beak with a black horned owl that had an equally dark disposition. The package tied to its right foot was small and wrapped in nondescript brown paper which Mina eyed as if it may explode. Glaring at her for staring instead of taking the bloody package off his leg, the owl nipped her earlobe rather forcefully and at her squawk of indignation, he batted her in the face with his wing. Growling at the menacing creature, Mina removed the package from his foot and threw a piece of sausage rather forcefully at his smug bird face. To her annoyance, the owl caught it in his arrogant beak and flew away with his spoils. She quietly hoped that the menace choked on the sausage, but her attentions were pulled back to the gift at Darlene's bubbly excitement.

"I bet it's jewelry," she nearly squealed while taking the small package in her hand and turning it over to inspect it.

"Do you want to open it for me?" Mina asked nonchalantly, yet her eyes were constantly focused on the flat, rectangular package. She was overridden with curiosity and suspicion. Moody might have even told her she was being a tad overdramatic.

Darlene rolled her eyes, but tore delicately into the paper. "You're being too paranoid. The boy wouldn't hurt you," she chided. Mina gestured toward her cropped back curls, but the girl bore her no mind. The paper fell away from a nondescript black box which Darlene carelessly popped open with a gasp. "Merlin," she breathed- her eyes wide. Finally looking up from the contents, she turned it towards Mina.

In the box sat a gorgeous hand mirror. It was laid in silver with a subtle vine of gold snaking up the handle to caress the edge of the mirror. It was obviously old and sparkled subtly with the hint that something more laid in the reflective glass.

Mina was effectively speechless. A blush was beginning to creep up her neck when Pandora pointed out the card that lay underneath. Taking the card carefully, she read the short note.

"Mina,

Don't start expecting too much. This is forValentines and your birthday. I found it in the Black vault when father was giving another long 'you're going to be the heir of the Oldest and Most Noble House of Black' speech. It has a twin which is in my bedside drawer so I can pester you for the cloak whenever I please. I guess you can use it if you need one of us as well. I know James seems to always have something he needs to talk to you about. Something about twin-speak. Anyways, Happy Valentines Day.

Sirius Orion Black the Third

(P.S. I need help with the Potions assignment from this week. Remus said you would explain it better because you had some reference book that would help. Bloody Slughorn. The man is a menace with papers. I can't keep up this badass persona if I'm taking remedial potions.)"

The note was so quintessentially Sirius that Mina tittered until she fell into full, racous laughter. The Ravenclaw tabled regarded at her with a quirk of a brow before turning back to their conversations, but the eyes of the marauders were all on her. Sirius was feeling both successful in making her laugh and a bit nervous that she may not have liked his gift. He had not planned on giving her the mirror for Valentines day, he figured he would just get her some mail order sugar quills, but inspiration struck, and Sirius figured that he should follow his father's advice for once. "Black men never give gifts in halves," the gruff voice floated arrogantly through his mind.

James, on the other hand, found her laughter a bit disconcerting. Either he had a boy to beat up on her behalf- as that is what older brothers do- or he was about to be on the end of another prank. Remus was thinking the same as they shared a short look before returning to their breakfast.

Mina found that she received a couple of Valentines throughout the day, however, none of them held a flame to the enchanted two-way mirror. Darlene and Pandora had sent her a couple of sugar quills which they had come to an agreement on a week ago- the Ravenclaw girls would send Valentines to each other so no one was left out. Mina had sent her roommates boxes of chocolates shaped like unicorns merely because they were entertaining when they whinnied. Even Janice sent a small batch of homemade biscuits her mother had made. Her other Valentines were from Lily- a nice card with a small sack of scones, her mother- a lovely letter and a goody box of her favorites, and Bertram Aubrey- a concise letter that mentioned both her 'ideal' blood status and a compliment at her short curls.

Leaving the Great Hall in a much better mood than before with significantly more sweets, Mina set off for the Library to get a new book to read before Defense. Mina had her act down to a science. She acted as if she was mediocre at defense and was studiously scouring through her book for help when in reality she was researching. It worked remarkably well, and a few times she had even earned House Points for seeming so hard-working. However, her path was impeded by one Sirius Black.

"You didn't get me anything," he said simply.

Mina grinned at the memory of the mirror. "I would say that allowing you to contact me at all times is more than generous," she quipped back.

Sirius' smile cracked a bit. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am known for being respectful of privacy and hardly a nuisance."

"Nuisance is your middle name," Mina joked lightly.

Sirius appeared to deeply contemplate that before replying seriously, "I would say you are wrong, but I was named after my father, and according to my mother he is the very definition of a nuisance."

Mina chirped out a tinkling laugh that filled Sirius with a sense of accomplishment and abstract pleasure. Before she could pop back with another witty comment, he asked softly but with a bit of nervousness, "Would you be my Valentine?"

Mina's heart stopped. Almost as if he sensed it, Sirius looked up with a smirk and winked. Her heart melted into a puddle right then and there. "Yes," she replied with a smile, hoping he couldn't see the blush threatening to coat her cheeks.

The smirk dropped from his face and was replaced with a warm, open smile. "Always?" he asked teasingly holding his little finger out to her.

"Always," she vowed, wrapping her pinky around his. The two held each others fingers for a second longer than normal, relishing in the soft sensation that had settled in their hearts, before breaking apart.

Mina knew in that moment that her always meant a lot more than a child's promise. Her soul seemed to have found its mate, and although she knew he would grow up into a flirty young man that would never marry, she found that her heart had little care. She would love him no matter. Although the thought of unrequited love sat poorly in her battered soul, she knew he was now a part of who she was. That's when a thought flickered in her brain.

Sirius was surprised not only that Mina- the girl he had grown to care for above all else- agreed to be his Valentine, but that she whirled around with a delighted look on her face and kissed him. It wasn't a full-on snog like the older kids did in the dark corners of the Gryffindor common room, it was chaste and hasty, yet pleasant as a tingling feeling shot through him. "Oh Sirius! I got it!" she exclaimed excitedly, her face flushed and bright. She twirled in a circle before racing down the hall without another word. Sirius found himself rooted into the stone floor both perplexed and entirely pleased. "The girl is a madman," he muttered to himself before dazedly wandering off toward classes with her entrancing smile filling his mind.

Mina skipped both her quest for literature and Defense class in the midst of her revelation. She ran straight to the Room of Requirement and sunk into her meditations the second her bum touched the pillow the Room had provided for her. Instantly, her occlumency castle she had fashioned in her mind loomed before her. The great feat of mental architecture was modeled after castle Loarre which her family had visited one year during a vacation in Spain. She threw open the tall, woven iron doors and wound her way through the expansive house to the dungeons. All along the walls bore portraits of memories- innocuous ones that would distract an intruder from the other furnishings like a large, slightly crooked chandelier. Mina ran into her library, the room in which she kept most of her general knowledge and tugged down on her favorite book- Hogwarts A History. The book fell happily into her hands and she opened it up to reveal a key hidden in a carved recess in the back cover. Extracting the key and putting down the book with too much reverence for an imaginary tome, she took the key to another shelf farther in the back of her library. There sat a small bookcase that held her most beloved muggle novels in which a battered copy of Jane Eyre had a small hole. Inserting the key into the hole and turning two times counterclockwise produced a soft clicking. Taking the key back out, Mina stepped back as the bookshelf rearranged itself into a doorway. The second she stepped through the threshold the bookshelf groaned back into place, and Mina found herself where she kept her innermost thoughts. While studying occlumency, Mina learned about the uses of the art far beyond resisting legitimacy. A well organized mind resisted psychological and mental stresses. As a war veteran that knew firsthand that fighting the imperius and cruciatus curses were imperative to her survival, so she built an impenetrable room deep below her other defenses that held _her_. On the walls held the memories that defined her life: reading her first book, becoming a witch, dancing with her father in the kitchen prior to the Yule ball, becoming friends with Harry, winning the war, becoming Mina Potter. Now the walls also held the memory of meeting Sirius on the train. Not only did she line the maze like walls with her most precious memories, but other things crept along the passages as well. Her innermost thoughts and being morphed into creatures that walked the halls- some good, some terrifying. However, she was here for a particular creature that had evaded her for months.

Mina sprinted through the halls barely acknowledging anything that tried to get in her way. She was close she knew it- she felt it in her very soul. Skidding around a corner passed an eerie replica of Voldemort she saw it: her animagus. When it turned to look at her in return, it merely cocked its head as if to say "what took you so long?"

It took nearly ten minutes to walk her way out of the fortress that was her occlumency palace, but once the key was back in its proper place and her innermost thoughts were again secure, she let out a whoop of joy. She was one step closer to becoming an animagus, and the rush of fulfillment overpowered all of he doubts and worries she had unwittingly put on herself in the last two years. Her excitement was only dulled by the time she would have to wait to tell Professor McGonagall. She wanted to rush into the Transfiguration classroom and tell her mentor, but alas there were still classes running. In fact, she was about to miss a second class if she didn't hurry. Shouldering her bag, she practically bounced to Charms.

~oo00oo~

"Where were you in Defense?" Darlene whispered while Flitwick was setting up the day's lesson.

Well shit. Mina had been so intoxicated with her own sense of accomplishment that she failed to made up an excuse for missing class. Thinking quickly, she hastily replied with the first lie that popped into her head, "Avery locked me in a broom closet with some odd spell."

Darlene's face melted from one of concern to sympathy. "I'm sorry. I'll share my notes with you. I know defense isn't your best subject, but luckily we didn't do much today. We just turned in our essays and talked about simple shield charms. If you need extra help, I'm sure you could join Defense study group. It's not like you really need to be in the study group for Charms, you read the book so many times you could probably teach the class."

Mina felt a small part of her stomach twist at Darlene's kind words. Stuffing down her morality that threatened to bubble up, she focused on Darlene's advice. It was pretty silly to be in a study group that she didn't even pretend she needed. It would be more logical to attend the Defense study group since she decided to make the class her 'worst subject'. It would probably deflect unwanted attention if the want-to-be Death Eaters believed she was a defenseless little pureblood princess. "You're right," Mina admitted with a shy smile. "I think I'll swap Charms for Defense. I'm just much better at the subjects that rely more heavily on theory rather than practice."

Darlene grinned brightly and bubbled on. "We can't all be good at everything. Plus, you're good at turning the spells into pranks. Maybe you're just destine to be a prankster!" Her brown eyes were sparkling with delight, and she was about to continue until Flitwick pulled attention back to the lesson with a short question directed at Mina's excitable friend.

"Miss Dippet, as you seem quite ready for this assignment, can you tell me who invented the mending charm, Reparo?"

Darlene's face flamed and any happiness that had radiated out of her before was quickly replaced with deep embarrassment. "Uh. I think it was Olivia Nutty?" the you girl squeaked.

Flitwick gave her a gentle smile. "Close. Orabella Nuttley. She repaired the colosseum after it was destroyed, and her spell was instantly famous. It is a spell that every witch and wizard should be able to cast, because it is both a simple spell and extremely useful. Now, can anyone demonstrate the spell for the class?" the half-goblin asked looking around the class before honing his attentions on Mina who was dividing her time between comforting Darlene and batting away Sirius' seemingly endless stream of notes.

"Miss Potter," Professor Flitwick enunciated in a tone of displeasure that was uniquely used for her name.

Mina looked up at her head of house with an innocent smile of a Slytherin. "I don't believe I have anything broken to preform the charm on, Sir." Her sweet tone of voice earned her a small exasperated sigh that told her he was growing quickly tired of her games- not that she would ever tire of their banter. However, before he could either suggest she rip up her notes that she wouldn't use anyway, James made himself known.

"Minie, why don't you break this?" his chirpy voice called happily behind her.

Just as she turned around, she saw a delicate porcelain teacup flying toward her. Instinct took over and she grabbed the cup from the air, however, scalding hot liquid poured down her hand causing her to immediately drop the pretty pink cup. The cup broke into a thousand pieces as it fell to the floor, drawing the attention of the few students in class that we're already watching.

"Jamie!" Mina screeched, turning toward her grinning twin. "Why was there tea in the cup?"

James looked positively gleeful. "Well, that's what you put in tea cups," he replied simply, but behind his innocent hazel eyes was a spark of mischief. The little bugger.

"Mr. Potter!" Flitwick admonished, but was quickly drowned out by Lily.

"You insolent toe rag!" Lily wailed, her eyes cut like broken emeralds as she glared daggers toward James' still joyful figure.

"Miss Evans!"

James gave Lily an exasperated grin as if he didn't understand why she was angry. "Lily pad, it's just a joke. Tell her, Minie" he implored from his sister with puppy eyes, but was met with a growl from Lily.

"Oh, Jamie. You shouldn't have said that," Mina said, letting out a weary sigh.

Lily was nearly shaking with anger as she ground out, "I. Am. Not. Your. Lily Pad!" To further her point, she wadded up one of the many notes from him that littered her desk and threw one at his confused face.

"Lily," James stressed as he attempted to calm her by laying a hand over her clenched fist, "it's just a pet name."

Mina, Sirius, and Remus looked at each other with almost evil glee in their eyes. "Oh," said Sirius, "you should _not_ have said _that_."

"He's in for it," Mina nearly giggled with anticipation.

Remus chuckled from behind his book. "We need to invest in a camera next. I want printed memories of every time he makes a arse of himself."

"Pet?!" Lily burst in the same tone and volume as a boiling hot kettle.

"Quiet!"

The class went silent as if they just remembered that they were suppose to be learning and not watching drama in the Great Hall.

Professor Flitwick groaned and muttered, "I don't even know why I call on her anymore" before turning his narrowed eyes back toward the twins. "Mr. Potter. Miss Evans. Detention."

Lily's entire demeanor shifted from barely controlled scorn to tears welling up in her red eyes. She had never had so much as a stern reprimand from her professors in primary school, and Flitwick's cold words sunk into her heart like a lead weight. How was she suppose to tell her parents? Would this take her out of the running for prefect? Or Head girl?

Filius sighed. The girl was working herself into a right tizzy. Before he could calm her, James Potter opened his mouth. "Professor Flitwick. I already have a detention tonight with Professor McGonagall. Can we reschedule? I have Thursday evening free," the boy said as if he was moving around a lunch date with a friend. He even had a planner in hand- most likely swiped from his sister- and was squinting at the pages.

Filius was truly not paid enough to handle this batch of first years. "Mr. Potter, Apollyon Pringle will conduct your detention tomorrow evening in whatever manner he sees fit. Miss Evans, calm down. You will serve your detention with me after dinner. Miss Potter. See me after class."

With the handing out of detentions, the class had calmed, and Professor Flitwick resumed his lesson on repairing charms and ignoring Mina Potter.

~oo00oo~

"You wanted to see me, sir."

Mina, while she refused to let it show on the outside, was still quite uncomfortable with being in trouble with her professors. She was slowly becoming acquainted to it, thanks to her brother mostly, but purposefully acting out still didn't feel natural. So, when she approached Professor Flitwick after disrupting his class, she found herself fiddling with a note in her robe pocket to settle the nervous energy she fought so hard to stamp out.

Professor Flitwick glanced up at her and let out a long-suffering sigh that she alone seemed to cause. "Miss Potter," he began with a touch of dread in his voice that both scarred and thrilled Mina. "I am not as blind as you children think I am." Absolute terror replaced any excitement she had a moment ago. Now, her single focus was coming up with excuses for her odd behavior in the hopes of throwing him off any thought of her being a time traveller. She was so caught up in the worry the sentence produced, she almost didn't hear what came next. "I know that you are not getting anything from my class. There are occasionally students who come along that are very gifted, and I find that sitting and listening to a lecture they already know is not conducive to learning." Mina's thoughts stopped entirely. "I would like to offer you, despite myself, additional tutoring. I know you are already have a mentorship with Professor McGonagall, but it appears that you still have time to spare." A grimace appeared on his face as he remembered the various pranks he _knew_ she had a hand in, but quickly stuffed those thoughts down and continued. "I over heard your conversation with Miss Dippet earlier about your need for Defense tutoring. You may not know, but I was a champion duelest in my time, and I would like to offer my tutelage in defensive charms."

Mina was shocked into silence. A form that Filius had yet to witness and one he found he enjoyed far more than her usually snarky sarcasm. However, her next expression was one that reminded him why he put up with days of rowdy kids. Mina looked at him as if the sun shined from the very steps he took. "Yes! I would be honoured!" she squeaked in a tone he would later associate with an academically over-joyed Hermione Granger.

"Very well," Professor Flitwick surmised in a higher pitch than normal, which Hermione knew was when he was trying valiantly to hide his pleasure, but failing. "We will schedule our tutoring on a weekly basis as to not get in the way of either of our responsibilities. I am sure you can come up with some reason for me to hold you after class." The contempt in his voice was not as genuine as usual which made Mina feel as if she had just gained another mentor in this time. But as quick as her joy came, apprehension set in.

"Professor," Mina began warily "I know I'm going to sound a bit mad, but could we have these lessons under the guise of detentions?"

Flitwick narrowed his eyes. "This is to uphold your mischievous reputation, I presume?"

Mina shuffled her feet knowing she would look more genuine and afraid. "I just don't want to draw the attentions of _some_ that I am getting more Defense education." She wasn't lying, but she wasn't nearly as afraid of the people as she was the effect on the timeline.

"Ahh. I understand," the Professor replied a tad softer. "I don't believe you should be worrying about that now, but if you wish to keep the lessons secret, it shall be done."

Mina looked up with a genuine smile. "Thank you, sir."

~oo00oo~

Mina, as her classmates knew, was normally quite cheerful in Transfiguration as she was easily the best in the subject and the teacher's pet. Yet, even Darlene and Lily looked at her questionably as she practically bounced in her seat as they waited for the lesson to start.

"What's got her all excited?" Darlene whispered to Lily who was staring at Mina with one brow raised.

"No idea," the red-head sighed.

The lesson was a slow one for Mina. It was just another lesson on inanimate transfiguration, which almost seemed to antagonize her with its simplicity in comparison to her earlier discovery. McGonagall cast her questioning glances through the lesson, but continued on like normal. Mina received her set point maximum of 5, by doing all the spells perfectly and experimenting on the side with only transfiguring the handle of the teapot into a knit cloth. It wasn't terribly useful, but it entertained Mina through an otherwise boring lesson.

When Professor McGonagall called time, Mina bolted out of her seat to her mentor's desk. Once the rest of the class filed out, and James was warned of his detention later that night, Minvera turned to her apprentice. "What has you to the point of nearly disturbing my class with your restlessness?"

"I found it!" Mina blurted. The arched brow of her Master told her to explain further. "I found my animagus form," Mina said in a quieter, more restrained voice in case a classmate was listening at the door.

The following moment was one that Mina had never seen before, but would relish in the future. Minerva McGonagall grabbed her into tight hug and fiercely whispered, "Oh! I'm so proud of you!"

When she pulled away, she held Mina at arm's length and inspected her with a bright smile and happiness ringing in her voice. "Oh what is it? A bird? A cat? Oh! No- don't tell me! I want it to be a surprise. Oh! We need to get a mandrake leaf from Pomona. You're going to have to act sick for a month. Did I explain the next step?"

McGonagall had driven herself to be flustered, but Mina loved every second of it. "I wouldn't tell you quite yet," Mina said, grinning like an idiot. "You have gone over the next step. I'll get the leaf, then in three days of me acting like I'm sick we'll glue it to my mouth."

Minerva pulled her into another, quicker hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you. You're going to love it. Then, we can get into more theoretical Transfiguration."

~oo00oo~

 **Later that Evening, 23:00**

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

The first year girl's dorm was near silent except for the occasional rustle of soft linen sheets. Only one girl was awake. She had strong wards silencing her bed, as she did every night, and her curtains drawn. In her hands, she delicately cradled a fine silver mirror that she stared into longingly. In the reflection was not her own, but a young boy's. His black hair was a rumpled mess around his head that poked out of the rumpled quilt that he was curled under with his stuffed dragon. His soft snores were soothing to her weary soul. Finally, she burrowed down into her blankets, still with the mirror in her grasp and whispered to the sleeping boy, "Goodnight, Jamie. I promise I'll do anything to keep you safe."


	14. Chapter 14

**18 February, 1972**

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

"Tell me again why we're using a mirror to talk if you can't actually _talk_."

Mina and James had been attempting to communicate through the enchanted mirror all night. Mina- who was pretending to have laryngitis because she couldn't talk thanks to a mandrake leaf stuck to the roof of her mouth- was writing out her thoughts on various sheets of parchment that now surrounded her on her four-poster. James was getting put out with waiting for her responses and was trying to lure her to Gryffindor tower.

"You have the cloak. Just slip on over, and then you can keep questioning me. If not, I'm owling mum and telling her you're sick. Dad knows that if you're too sick to get in trouble, you should be in the infirmary."

Mina glared at her twin. Damn him for pulling the parent card. Much to Jamie's obvious delight, she pulled the cloak out of her neatly packed trunk, and shot him one last glare before disappearing. With the mirror placed delicately into a soft compartment, and the lid of her trunk silently closed, she headed across the castle.

~oo00oo~

The cloak rustled softly against the frigid stone floor, partially muffling her careful footsteps. She knew that her odds of being caught out of bed were low, since both Dumbledore and McGonagall would ignore her late night escapades, so when a sharp click of a cane sounded from down the hall, Mina's stomach dropped. Apollyon Pringle, the current caretaker of Hogwarts, was a brutal man. He was most likely a squib, as Mina had never seen a wand in his palm, but most of the children were too afraid of the man to question his magical status. He was known for his harsh punishments, often times including the end of his cane, so Mina was quite frightened to hear the familiar knocking of his favorite torture device.

It felt almost as if the castle responded to her panic, as when she turned the corner, there was a small alcove she had never seen before. Squishing herself as far away from danger as possible, she held her breath, and hoped to Merlin the man would pass without stopping.

The clicking got closer and closer, and by the time her lungs were screaming for air, she could hear his wheezing breaths. "Where are you? I will find you," his scratchy voice called out just above a whisper.

Mina's brain was panicking. She was under an invisibility cloak, but she found that wouldn't hide her forever. If he got any closer, the un-mistakable blend of the almond, cashmere, and vanilla in her perfume that her mother had bought for her on their first trip to France would alert his wrinkly countenance to her presence. Thinking quickly, she looked around frantically to see if there was anything else nearby she could use as a distraction.

Nothing.

An idea flashed across her mind. If there is nothing, make something.

Mina silently unsheathed her wand from the inner pocket of her delicate nightdress. Brandishing her wand, she focused on the incantation, "Serpensortia" and flicked her wand.

A thin, long black snake slithered out of her wand and fell onto the floor with no noise. Ignoring her presence, or following her mental orders, the snake slithered from beneath the cloak and made it's way back toward where she had just come from.

The snake hissed, and a shout rang across the hall, "God damn, snake! How did you get in here?"

Bloody. Buggering. Hell.

Mina was going to get caught if she didn't get out. Now. Luckily, thinking quickly on her feet was her strong suit. Feet. Yes!

Back before the final battle, Hermione was helping Tonks put down Teddy for a nap when the brilliant pink haired witch taught her a useful spell. It was a modified muffling spell. Instead of Snape's version which muffled an area, _muffataro_ silenced one's footsteps. Apparently, mothers had been using it for centuries to help babies sleep soundly throughout the day. Mina figured that Snape must have found the spell and changed it for is own uses. Suppressing her unnecessary musings, Mina pointed her wand to her feet. With a silent twist and flick, her feet tingled in her slippers, and she took off as fast as her feet would take her toward Gryffindor tower.

~oo00oo~

Stepping through the portrait hole, the fat lady grumbled, "Children never sleep."

Mina was immediately greeted with a bone-crushing hug from her twin. "Why did you leave the mirror? What took you so long?" he asked quietly, while he reassured himself of her presence by squeezing the life out of her.

Mina groaned from the pressure on her ribs, and James quickly let go. His eyes looked at her expectantly. Knowing she couldn't talk, she wrinkled up her face and held onto an imaginary cane.

"Pringle?" James whispered frightened.

Mina nodded her head.

Jamie's eyes grew wide, and he pulled her up toward his dorm, while chattering, "That man is horrid. I'm glad you got passed him. If he laid one hand on my sister, I would make sure he couldn't get out of his bed for a week. Dad would be livid. The man would never work again."

Mina smiled fondly at James. He was a caring bother, and his threats that she doubted he could carry out, warmed her heart. She had always bristled at Harry and Ron's attempts at standing up for her, because she felt like they were taking away her ability to prove herself a worthy opponent; yet with James, she had nothing to prove, so she relished in the feeling of the protection he offered.

As they walked into the first year boy's dorm, Sirius and Remus were chatting about James' Slytherin detention- just what she wanted to hear about. James had been oddly silent after Valentine's day, both by not talking or pranking, and Mina was dying of curiosity. The other boys seemed to be speculating as well.

"I think he's got a new bird. Lynn is pretty fit," Sirius said, winking in James' direction. He then turned to Mina and mouthed, "Never as fit as you, kitten."

Peter piped up from the corner, his voice high and scratchy, "I think he finally realized not all Slytherins are bad."

"James, why don't you just tell us what happened?" Remus asked as Mina plopped down next to him on his bed. He grinned down triumphantly at her. They had both been speculating- mostly on paper- what they think had gone on, and as the two in the group that hated not knowing everything, they were bursting with anticipation now that they had James cornered.

The boy in question let out his signature petulant whine, but after seeing that no one was going to bail him out, he huffed and fell onto his bed dramatically. Peaking out from his pillow, and still seeing all eyes on him, made him groan. "Fine. Lynn was nice- she's no Lily, but who is? A couple of her Slytherin friends came by-Farley, Davis, and Montague. Montague told me Lily and I would make a right good married couple, so she was good in my book. Davis was trying to convince her to sneak out with him and go flying. I can't hate a Puddlemere fan. Farley just wanted his sketchbook back. They seemed normal, and I'm not sure what to do now. Snivellus is still an arse though. I think maybe dad was right about Slytherins"

They all spoke at once.

"I told you Slytherin's aren't bad," Peter squeaked from his position on the floor where he was trying to find his Transfiguration notes.

Sirius threw his hands up and growled, "It's okay to think Slewyn is a looker, but Slytherin's are evil. Nothing but worthless tossers!"

Mina and Remus looked at each other and Remus replied what was on both of their minds, "You _think_?"

James covered his head with his pillow and let out a muffled scream. Pulling his head up and looking at his friends with tired hazel eyes and horribly messy black hair, he bit, "Can't you all just leave me be?"

"No," Sirius barked, pushing himself to the front of the group. "You know my family. You know what they believe and what they do. So, how can you say Slytherin's are alright?" His chest was heaving and his face blushed with anger. His fists were clenched at his sides in a desperate attempt to reign in his emotions that were bubbling out. "What about Avery that locked Mina in a closet? Or Mulciber who wouldn't stop picking on Mary? Need I even mention Malfoy who uses his prefect badge to hide behind when he hexes first years?" he demanded, stalking closer with each sentence.

When Sirius was within arms reach of James, he was nearly shaking with anger. Seeing James' worried eyes, Mina slipped out of the bed silently and shoved herself between the two boys. Although she couldn't talk, lest she blow her cover, a growl ripped through her teeth as she stared down Sirius, keeping her brother behind her.

"So it's going to be like that?" Sirius asked in a low, dangerous voice that said he was deeply wounded.

Mina pleaded with her eyes for him to understand. When it comes to Jamie. Her little brother. Her twin. There is no contest. Never.

Remus, in his calm, soothing voice, called out from behind Sirius. "You are right that Malfoy, Mulciber, and Avery are arses, and we can do our best to get them back. But there are plenty of Slytherin's that don't push kids down stairs and lock people in closets. There are some Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and even Gryffindors that are mean, but you know it's not the House as a whole. It's the same for Slytherin."

Sirius' eyes bore into her's flickering with anger and betrayal. In a last ditch effort to calm him, Mina gently rested her hand on his shoulder with her fingers caressing his shaggy black locks. For the tiniest of moments, she could see him lean into her touch, but as soon as she registered his soft cheek on her fingers, it was gone.

"You're wrong," he spat out, pulling away from where her hand lay and stomping toward his bed. "Slytherins are a bunch of tossers. The whole lot of them." With that, the curtains around his bed snapped shut, and the room went silent.

Mina turned around to James, her sweet Jamie, where he was staring ahead in shock at the spot Sirius was a mere second ago, and wrapped him in a hug. He fell into her arms as if no one was in the room. "Why?" he whispered in her ear, his entire question lost in his grief, but the meaning was not lost on his twin.

"Sometimes, it's easier to see the world in black and white, rather than face a reality in which the good guys aren't as good as they seem, and the bad guys aren't all evil. He'll come around. Promise," Mina vowed. Her voice was raspy from dis-use and the mandrake in her mouth. Luckily, she had her back to all of the boys, but the sentiment was not lost.

Remus and Peter sat silently watching the brother and sister, and let her message wash over them. While the two boys were close, and quite similar in a number of ways, they took her words very differently. Peter, the first to recover from the drama, cheerfully squeaked, "He will come around. Sirius isn't one to hold a grudge."

Oh, how wrong he was.

~oo00oo~

 **28 February, 1971**

 **Ravenclaw Common Room**

 **8:45 pm**

"Minnnnnie," James pouted, feet dangling in the air and his head hanging down from a nearby seat. This usually would have garnered the attentions of the nearby Ravenclaws, but James had become a staple to the common room as of late. "Wanna plan a prank? I was thinking we could make one of the steps on the stairs disappear when you walk on it."

Mina sighed. The prank was good, and she knew that it would be fun to pull, but she wanted James to be happy, not distract himself. "Is Sirius still ignoring you?" she wrote on the back of a discarded essay, and handed it to her brother.

James' face fell, as it did every time his best friend (besides his twin, of course) was mentioned. "The worst part is, he puts on a show when other people are around, and I start to think that maybe the Marauders are back together, but then he'll ignore me the second we get into our room." James seemed to curl within himself the more he spoke. "I don't know what to do, Minie. Dad just owled today and told me how proud he was that I finally saw good in the Slytherins. I can't let dad down. You know how he gets that frown when he realized that you didn't meet his expectations."

Mina did know the frown. Fleamont's brows would crinkle and his lips would twitch downward while slight sadness filled his eyes. It would happen anytime she would imply she wasn't a part of the family or if they were inventing and she just couldn't see passed a preconceived notion she had. There was something about the disappointment in his eyes that made her fell worse than a bludger to the skull.

A light bulb went off in her head.

"I have an idea. Meet me in the unused Charms classroom on the fifth floor in a hour," she scribbled down on a scrap piece of parchment. She then packed up all of her things, and as James squawked at her, she threw the note in his lap and raced out of the room.

"Minie!" James called out, but the common room door had already banged shut. "Humph."

~oo00oo~

 **Fifth Floor Charms Classroom**

 **9:00 pm**

"Mina, remind me again why we're in an abandoned classroom an hour before curfew," Sirius grumbled, looking around the dusty classroom. There were twelve desks stacked neatly along the far wall which lent to a feeling of uneasy openness. The chairs were scattered haphazardly across the room where the were inevitably used for club meet-ups or midnight rendezvouses. The professors' podium was shoved into a corner that had garnered the attention of many spiders along with a small community of pixies. Overall, it was not a room that Sirius would care to frequent with someone he was a touch put-out with. He had contemplated just telling her to bugger off, but there was something about her sweet smile that made his heart speed up and his mind totally forget why he shouldn't do exactly what she said.

Mina gave him a brilliant grin that he basked in. "Well, you're quite good at defense, and I figured you could help me with a few spells," she had written on a blank piece of parchment. Every warning bell in his mind was ringing that he should run, but her wide, trusting eyes bound him to her.

Sirius sighed. The damn girl would always get what she wanted when she asked him, and she knew it. "Fine," he relented, hands in surrender. "What do you need help on?"

"Well," Mina began writing. "The smokescreen spell has thrown me through a loop. Mostly because I can't actually say the incantation to know if I'm doing it right."

He eyed her warily, but he knew that she had been struggling with defense, so he relented. "Fine," he sighed. "Help me clear away the chairs, and then we'll practice."

Mina was practically dancing with manipulative glee as she drug the chairs across the stone floor, counting down in her head to the arrival of her special surprise.

Once the chairs were neatly stacked along the outer walls, Sirius ushered Mina to the center of the room with slight trepidation. "Uh.." He began uncertainly, "The biggest problem with the smokescreen spell is imagining it to not be completely solid, but not see through either. If you're thinking too much about just having another person not see you, you're magic will want to make a solid wall. You have to think of heavy smoke and intent to confuse the people you're using it on." Coming up behind Mina who was holding her wand loosely, Sirius wrapped his arm around her, grasping her wand hand, and continued to explain. "Once you focus on the thick, confusing fog, just hold your wand up and say 'fumos' with a large flick."

A tingle shot down Mina's left arm as the smoke began pouring out of the end of her yew wand. She turned toward Sirius with a grin when her surprise came.

"Hey Mina! Darlene said you would be here" The door sprung open to reveal a smiling Medea Greengrass, whose dark brown eyes immediately locked on Sirius which caused a smirk to dance across her face. "I'm sorry. Don't let me interrupt this," she winked. "Find me later. I'll ask my questions about Transfiguration and _this_." Her eyes darted between the two, Sirius' arm wrapped around hers as he showed her the proper wandwork, before she grinned and turned to leave.

Sirius felt a blush creeping up his cheeks. He didn't know why but he felt defensive. "Why are you here, snake?" He asked derisively.

Medea acted as if his tone was not as biting as it was. "Well, I wanted help with a Transfiguration problem, and we all know that Mina is the best of all of us with the subject. When Darlene told me she was in some abandoned classroom, I knew that I couldn't wait just in case something bad was happening to her. It's not like most of us go traipsing about in abandoned classrooms unless we're in a club or looking to snog. Mina isn't a part of a club or snogging anyone _I know of_." Medea swished her shoulder length black hair and raised her tweezed eyebrows provocatively.

Sirius looked like he wanted to refute, but another- frantic - voice sounded behind Medea's tall, thin figure in the doorway. "Is Mina in there? A sixth year is practicing advanced transfiguration on a Hufflepuff in an abandoned corridor on the second floor."

Mina immediately shot out of Sirius' hold and flew toward the door. John Farley was just outside the door looking as if he was going to faint any second. His long sandy hair was ruffled and clung to the sweat on his forehead. His pale stocky frame was flushed pink from running and shaking from jitters. When she had recruited the two Slytherins, she had not planned on Farely _actually_ finding someone harming another student.

"Going to Professor McGonagall would have only lead to her punishing one of us, so I figured you're probably second best, because you wouldn't blame me for it," Farely explained as he lead Mina and Medea down to the second floor with Sirius reluctantly following behind with a grimace on his face. As they neared the corridor, a cold feminine laugh permeated through the empty air which caused Farely to stop in terror. He turned to the rest of the group, his face white as a sheet and mouthed, "The Carrows."

Mina wanted to run head first in and hex the two older Slytherins into a mound of flesh-they didn't deserve any less- but she was a first year, and not suppose to be able to do such things. Turning toward Medea, John, and Sirius, she saw the two Slytherins nearly cowering and Sirius filling with fear and righteous anger. She knew his Gryffindor tendencies of rushing in head first and thinking later were about to set in . "Sirius, stay here with Medea and John. You're a better fighter than I am, but please don't engage unless you have to. I don't want you to get hurt. I'm going to get Professor McGonagall," she whispered furiously, her voice cracking from strain and keeping her mouth nearly closed to hide the leaf. She then mumbled 'muffataro' and pointed her wand at her feet. Once her steps were muffled, she ran down the hall toward McGonagall's office. The older professor was usually there until curfew where she would do a short round before going to her personal quarters.

She prayed with every footstep that Sirius wouldn't do anything stupid. She couldn't believe that Farley found someone being bullied. He was suppose to set up a scene with another Gryffindor to pick on him if he didn't see anyone getting picked on. She never intended on leaving three scared first years anywhere near the Carrows.

Rapping on the solid oak door with three quick knocks, Mina let herself into the room.

Minerva's office was much the same as her quarters. In the front of the room sat a lovely redwood desk with engravings of blooming roses lining the sides where she sat in a tall, brown tartan chair grading essays. Behind her was where four shelves of books, neatly arranged- most likely by subject- lined the wall. Immediately to the right of the door was a small sitting area with nearly identical couches to that of her personal rooms. The room was small, but functional.

"Mina?" McGonagall asked, looking up from a stack of parchment with confusion touching her voice.

Mina was out of breath, but too panicked to care. Her voice came out as a croak rather than her usual soft alto tone. "Carrows are transfiguring a Hufflepuff. Abandoned corridor. Second floor."

Minerva was out of her seat in a second, her robes billowing as she swiftly strode passed Mina toward the stairs. "How did you find them?" The older woman asked sharply, attempting to take her mind off of the worry coursing through her veins.

"John Farley. He found Sirius and I practicing defense," Mina choked out as she jogged to keep pace with her mentor.

Sooner than imagined, Mina and Minerva found the second floor and wound their way through a secret passage to get to the corridor with the Carrows. Stepping out from a large tapestry of a Chinese Fireball chasing a knight, Minerva reviewed the scene in shock.

A small boy- Colin Higglebottom- was curled up in the fetal position on the floor, his slightly pudgy body wrapped around his broken wand. His skin was a a grayish-pink colour, his hair was gone, and little pink tail was sprouting out of his trousers. He was crying softly, snorting every couple of seconds instead of hiccuping. The perpetrators were laughing cruelly a few paces away. They were not facing the crying boy, but rather the face of a very angry Sirius Black.

Sirius stood a half a head shorter than the twins, but what he lacked in height he made up for in sheer force of personality. A small line of blood was trickling down his eyebrow toward his left eye, but he still held his wand out menacingly toward the older students, a patronizing sneer on his face.

"That is quite enough!" Professor McGonagall snapped, her form emerging from the secret passage and her wand ready. Immediately all of the students cowed before the imposing woman. "Mister Black," Minerva commandeered. "Take Mister Higglebottom to the infirmary. Misters Farley and Carrow and Misses Carrow and Greengrass, I want you all in my office to explain this behavior. Mister Black, you will kindly come to my office after you visit the infirmary as well."

Mina listened from her spot hidden under the tapestry as her plan came to fruition. "Farley and Greengrass had nothing to do with this!" Sirius exclaimed, indignation ringing in his voice.

Minerva's reply was icy, and Mina could imagine her threatening glare at Sirius' impertinence. "You would do well to remember who is in charge here Mister Black. As it is, Mister Farley and Miss Greengrass will be coming to my office to confirm the story brought to me. A judgement will be decided afterwards."

McGonagall stalked toward the students, leaving Mina alone in the passage, and herded the Slytherins toward her office. When five sets of footsteps were gone, she emerged to find Sirius tenderly coaxing Colin to relax. He was bent over the unfortunately pink boy, and offering his hand, while softly reassuring him.

Sirius glanced up briefly to find Mina slide out behind the tapestry and look at him with an odd emotion in her eyes. He couldn't quite place it, but if her were to have to guess, he would say she was gazing at him fondly as if she was trying to stamp the moment into her memory to keep. He turned his attention back to Colin who was reluctantly sitting up after inspecting the area for the Carrows. His movements were jerky as if Transfiguration was not the only subject they had been practicing on him.

Once Sirius had gotten Colin to his feet and stabilized enough to walk, he turned back to Mina to ask if she would keep him company, but she was gone. He was never sure how she could sometimes move silently and disappear, but he figured it was a woman thing. He was pretty sure his mother could appear out of thin air, so why couldn't Mina do the opposite?

His thoughts still straying back to the fondness in Mina's eyes, Sirius slowly lead Colin to the infirmary where Madam Pomfrey clucked and rummaged through a cabinet repeating, "it's in here somewhere. I know it."

~oo00oo~

 **Fifth Floor Charms Classroom**

 **9:46 pm**

Jamie burst through the door to the unused Charms classroom, his eyes wildly searching until he found his sister delicately folded into a desk chair with a book in her lap. He let out a ragged breath, and scowled at her unruffled appearance. "Minie! What is going on? You ran out to just sit in an empty classroom?" James squawked, his face red and blotchy from working himself up.

Mina looked up from her book on ancient runes of the East casually as if she had no care in the world. She muttered an incantation and words appeared on one of the blank chalkboards. "Take a seat. You'll understand in a few minutes." Inside, however, she was nervous. Sirius had defended the Slytherins, but there is nothing to say that he wouldn't go back to being a cantankerous git the second he wasn't in front of an authority figure. She had hoped that the worried concerns of John Farley would reach Sirius on some level. Seeing the two Slytherins shrink back from two members of their own house that Sirius personally despised hopefully allowed him to see that not all Slytherins were Death Eaters in training. Also, Medea was the type of girl not to be messed with, and she thought that Sirius would enjoy her strong personality. Overall, she had a lot of hopes, and not a lot of assurance, and Mina didn't like that one bit.

James had barely opened opened his mouth with a rebuttal on his tongue when the door slammed open, startling James and drawing Mina's eyes back toward the door. Sirius stood in the doorway, the backlighting from the torches in the hall lighting around him like an angelic halo, highlighting his fury. "I can't believe McGonagall would accuse Farley of helping the Carrows! You saw he was scared shitless! She even questioned Greengrass for five minutes! I couldn't help my temper at that point. I got detention for 'arrogance in the highest degree Mister Black!' At least Farley and Greengrass got to walk away. I think the Carrows are getting suspended." He paced through his tirade until his anger melted into him merely babbling. "The Carrows deserve to be expelled. They're Death Eaters in training, and Dumbledore should see that." Sirius finally looked at his surroundings to see James staring at him opened mouth with shock and Mina casually resting in a chair in a way that made her skirt ride up her legs and his mind go suspiciously blank. "So… ummm… do you still need help with the smokescreen spell?" He asked looking everywhere but her exposed legs.

Not surprisingly, James was the first to speak up. "So, now you finally see that not all Slytherins are scum?" Mina's twin asked with a sneer. His feelings were obviously hurt by Sirius' ten day silent treatment and he wanted Sirius to see that.

Sirius' face went blank and his stance more defensive with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He looked like a scared stray backed into a corner. "What of it?"

James lost his temper. "What of it? What of it? You've hurt my sister and pushed the rest of us away for over a week! We understand most of your family are hardly worthy of the air they breathe, but we weren't trying to knit hats and give them hugs! All I said was _all_ of Slytherin wasn't bad. Minie was just trying to make us realize we were being arseholes. I realized it, and you decided to become a bigger arse. Now, you act as if it was something you knew all along? Bullshit, mate. Just own up and apologize!" James nearly screamed. Like Mina, his eyes seemed to glow amber with fury with each step he took closer to his best friend. By the end of his tirade, he was nearly touching the other boy's chest with his accusatory finger.

Sirius watched James as he advanced forward angrily, only looking away for a brief second to look at Mina where guilt flickered in his eyes. However much Sirius thought he was nothing like his family, he was similar in a good number of ways, one being his pride and the other in his choler. "Did you ever think that-" Sirius began bitterly, but was cut off by the soft scrape of a chair against the cold stone floor.

Mina stood, and slowly made her way to the exit. James would eventually learn after years of friendship that Sirius would be far more receptive to hotly delivered ultimatums if he was left to his own devices afterwards to cool down and contemplate. So, Mina meandered her way out of the room and back to Ravenclaw tower. Sirius would hopefully calm down after James left him in a huff, and maybe her message would sink in.

Mina made a mental note to talk to Minerva about her practically clairvoyant response to the situation. McGonagall was a bit bias towards her Gryffindors as Head of House, but she would never accuse two Slytherin first years of advanced Transfiguration on an innocent Hufflepuff second year. Somehow the woman figured out Mina's plan and helped along the way. The woman was clearly a miracle worker, and deserved Mina's gratitude.

Winding her way up the spiral staircase to the common room, Mina reflected on the progress both Sirius and James have made toward becoming better men than she knew Harry saw in Severus' memories, thus she was surprised to step onto the landing and find herself eye to eye with the ever-sneering Snape.

"Can we talk?" Severus asked, a timbre of uneasiness lacing his words.

Seeing his rigid stance and shifting eyes, Mina slowly laid a hand on his arm. He only flinched slightly. _Good. He isn't mad._ Mina thought before slowly leading him toward a private reading alcove that was nearly abandoned at the late hour.

After inspecting the area for listeners, Mina leaned in and asked, "What is going on Severus?"

The boy only hesitated for a moment. "I want out."

~oo00oo~

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

 **11:54 pm**

Mina lay in bed. It was almost midnight, but she couldn't find it in her to fall asleep. Her curtains were shut, silencing charm surrounding her bed, and soft woolen blankets wrapped around her restless body, but sleep evaded her. The soft breaths of her roommates harmonized with the crickets that crept from the moonlit window, but the usual calm song failed to ease her mind. She sighed deeply, pushing thoughts of her talk with Severus from her mind, but breathing couldn't release the image of Sirius' guilty eyes flashing in her mind's eye. She knew what would calm her weary mind, but it felt like a weakness. Picking the mirror off of her bedside table, she felt like the object was calling out to her.

The feeling of cold silver in her hand was like a fix. She swiped her thumb over the bottom leaf, longing for the person on the other side of the mirror. Instead of her Jamie, his pouting lips directing drool onto the face of his stuffed dragon, there was another. His brows were scrunched together and his lips set in a tense line. His black hair was stuck up from running his fingers through the sides in stress. His grey eyes were hollow, anxiety and guilt welling up in their mercury depths that were staring away. She knew the moment he saw her. Across the castle, their bond tingled. A rush of relief filled her mind, though she was unsure if it was her own or his.

She shoved the new discovery away for another time when he began speaking. "Mina," he whispered as if her name was a prayer. His voice was gravelly from yelling, it reminded of her of his voice when he was much older and just waking up in the morning asking for a cup of tea. She liked that voice. "Sirius," she murmured, hoping her voice didn't give away the emotions swelling inside her.

He just stared at her for a few moments. His soliloquy began so softly she almost missed it. "James was right. I know that not all Slytherins are bad. Hell, not all of my own family are villainous people. I just see the same colour green on them that I saw all over Grimmauld Place, and I despise it. Then, when James went on about Slytherins being so nice, I got this irrational anger inside of me like he was replacing me. Regulus has always been the favorite in the family, because he always followed my parents inane rules. I'm so afraid that just like my family, James will pick the Slytherins over me. I know that it's irrational, and James can be friends with whoever he wants, but he was my first friend, and I can't stand the thought of him choosing people like Reggie over me. I don't hate Slytherins. The house just represents everything I never was that my parents wanted me to be. Then, I wanted to just apologize after the first day, but my pride couldn't let me. Every time I looked Remus, James, and Peter I just saw them laughing at me for being weak. I hate upsetting you, and I felt so horrible every time you looked at me, but I didn't want you to see me groveling to get my friends back. You, James, Remus, and Peter have become the family I always wanted, and I was just scared that if I apologized, you wouldn't think I was strong enough to be a marauder. I never want to lose you."

Tears tracked down Mina's round cheeks as she longed to pull Sirius' despondent form into her arms. Without thinking, she closed her eyes and searched for the bond she felt brush her heart earlier. Wrapping her mind around the warm, almost golden, connection she poured her thoughts into it. 'You'll never lose me. You're not weak, you're so strong. We're here to stay, and we want you for who you are. Stubbornness included. _Promise._ ' She put all of her focus and emotion into the words flowing down the bond to Sirius. She felt a tad foolish until she opened her eyes to see his face with a single tear dripping out of his right eye.

Sirius didn't know how Mina did it, but he could hear her voice in his head reassuring him. Her voice was like the delicate whisper of an angel made just for him, and he had no choice but to believe everything she said. When her eyes opened to look at his, he saw what he had wanted for his entire life, and he knew at that moment there was not a life he would want to live without her with him. She cared. So deeply. Without thinking, the words cascaded from his awestruck lips. "I'm yours."

He wasn't entirely sure what the statement entailed for the future, but he found that he didn't care. He trusted her with everything. So, they laid in bed, on opposite ends of a castle, and relished in each others presence through the magical mirror. Slowly, like the trickle of sand through a hourglass, they fell asleep in the comfort of one another's presence.

 ** _A.N./ I'm sorry this is a long time coming. I will endeavor to write quicker, but my writing depends on "finicky art moods" as my husband calls it. I hope you are having a lovely day and a fabulous week._**


	15. Chapter 15

**17 March, 1972**

 **Minerva McGonagall's Personal Quarters**

The mandrake leaf fell onto her tongue with a squelch. She almost vomited right then and there.

Quite frankly, it was vile. In the month that it spent glued to the roof of her mouth, the leaf had begun to decay, making it slimy and lumpy. In the last week, she had taken to keeping her mouth perpetually closed from the smell that would leak out due to the vegetation practically rotting on her hard palate. Overall, she was grateful to spit the nauseating ball of green mush into a glass vial for holding.

She quickly capped the vial and waved her wand to perform a quick cleansing charm on her mouth, while trying not to think about swallowing the remnants of the leaf in a potion in the upcoming days.

"Now remember," Minerva reiterated in her teaching voice, pacing back and forth with anticipation and a bit of trepidation. "You need to do your chants at sunrise and sunset- without fail. Keep the potion on you at all times. As soon as the thunderstorm comes, head to the Room. Send a Patronus and I will meet you there. You have to do one last chant before you take the potion."

Mina looked over at her mentor fondly. Minerva was working herself into a right tizzy with nerves. It was sweet.

"I'll be fine," Mina soothed, ignoring the cracking in her voice. Getting up from her position on Minerva's sitting room couch and gently laying a hand on the older woman's shoulder, she continued, "You've gone over this at least twenty times. You're the best mentor there is. Don't worry."

Minerva's forehead scrunched up as if she wanted to retort and explain everything that- in fact- could go wrong, but she looked into her apprentice's eyes and saw strength there. Letting out her worry in a weary sigh, Minerva relaxed ever so slightly. "I know it will all go well. I have never had a better student than you, but that doesn't mean I still can't worry," she fretted in a warm, motherly tone.

Mina took all of her anxieties and violently threw them into the worn down, dark green trunk in the main sitting room of her occulmency castle. They rumbled against the leather buckles restraining them inside but eventually calmed down. With Mina's confident resolve, Minerva finally calmed completely.

Reaching out, McGonagall's worn hand laid on Mina's cheek with warm tenderness. "You make me so proud," she sniffled, her voice imbued with a sweet roughness from holding back tears. Her thumb moved ever so slightly to rub against Mina's cheek before she pulled back and gathered herself. "Now, if I'm not mistaken you have Astronomy class in a couple of hours. Go back to your common room and attempt to rest. Remember your first chant."

Mina stood up to leave the room with one last grin toward Minerva that pulled up into a smirk. "I wonder if I can convince my dorm mates that the chants are apart of a cultish ritual. Bet they would never dream of 'borrowing' my clothes again," she commented off-handedly, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she glanced toward her mentor.

"Shoo, you hooligan. I have grading to do," the older woman ordered, the very same sparkle lighting her own piercing green eyes.

Mina skipped slightly as the door threatened to hit her on the way out. Once the lock clicked she turned around and teased, "Thank you for the _black ritual candles_ , Deputy Headmistress."

She heard a faint snickering under the door as she strolled back to her common room.

 **19 March, 1972**

 **Ravenclaw Tower**

The dormitory was silent except for the light pitter patter of rain against the large windows. The room was dark and all occupants were sleeping soundly. Janice, at the far end from the door, was snoring lightly, her silk eye mask caught on the edge of one of her curlers. Pandora was curled in a tight ball around a worn, stuffed rabbit named Maranello with her blankets scrunched in a nest around her form. Darlene, the closest to the door, had her curtains shut, but popping out her foot occasionally kicked from where it dangled near the headboard. Mina, who was in-between Darlene and Pandora, was face down, spread like a starfish, and drooling ever so slightly. She wasn't resting as peacefully as the others. Occasionally, a moan would escape her mouth, and she would toss to her side as if she was trying to escape a rogue spell.

There was a sudden flash, and the entire dormitory briefly lit with blinding light.

Crack!

Mina was awake in a heartbeat. Her wand was in her hand, and she scanned the room with wide, panicked eyes, before they settled on the windows. The rain trailing down the panes mocked her jumpiness. Taking a calming breath, she put her wand back under her pillow and crawled back under the still-warm sheets, kicking herself for being so paranoid.

There was another flash, followed by a deafening crack.

This time Mina hopped out of bed for an entirely different reason.

Pulling on her fluffy white housecoat and silky blue slippers, she snatched her wand, stuffed it in her pocket and grabbed her bag. She practically raced out of the empty common room muttering, "Bugger. Shit. Arse. Ninny" as she stumbled her way to the Room, not even attempting to watch out for Pringle in her haste. She only remembered to send her Patronus when she skidded to a stop in front of the familiar tapestry.

Wrenching the door open as soon as it appeared, she quickly ran in to the nearly empty room. It was the size of a classroom, yet had none of the furniture, only a wall of windows and a couple of floor pillows. The ran hammered against the panes as she skidded to a stop and unceremoniously plopped down on a pillow, potion in hand. Thunder rumbled in the background as she chanted over and over, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus" her right hand clutching her wand over her heart and her left hand gripping the viscous potion.

On her last chant, the seventh as it was the most powerful number, she uncorked the vial as the door behind her creaked open. "Mina?"

She looked up to find Minerva, hair floating around her head in disarray, robe barely tied shut over her tartan flannel pajamas and fluffy pink slippers, looking at her with joy and worry. "Did you remember to chant seven times?"

Mina nodded.

"Wand over your heart?"

Another nod.

Minerva sat down with what could only be described as childish anticipation. "Well, go on!" Minerva commanded, her face pulled in a bright smile. "You've kept me waiting long enough!"

Mina grinned back, her face nearly cracking with the elation of finally reaching a goal. Uncorking the fowl smelling concoction, she held it up briefly, muttered "cheers", then knocked it back like a shot of cheap vodka. It was horrifying tasting. Not even the vomit flavored jellybean she had once had the misfortune of selecting out of Bertie Bott's was quite so unpalatable as the potion that was in her mouth. She had to put a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't expel it right then and there. Tears were streaming out of her eyes when she finally swallowed the decayed lump of mandrake that her body kept rejecting.

The second the potion hit her stomach, she felt it. Her limbs tingled as if a bunch of frosty spiders were crawling over her skin. Her eyesight went blurry- almost golden- before everything got a lot clearer. She really knew it happened when Minerva's mouth popped into a little O and her face was a lot bigger and further away.

In Mina's place stood a rather awkward Phoenix. Unlike Fawks, her feathers were amber and burgundy, but mostly black- even her fire was less yellow and more the color of finely aged whisky. Mina's eyes were slightly lighter, almost more of Hermione's dark golden tones- but the spark of mischief was there as a tell tale sign that she was much more than a bird. She ruffled her feathers uncomfortably which caused her footing on the pillow to shift, and the phoenix dropped- inelegantly- off of the pillow and onto the floor in a heap.

Minerva finally found her voice and with it came peals of laughter. Clutching her sides, the Transfiguration professor cackled at the sight of her student glaring at her in the form of a bird. Once the shock and humor finally wore off, she gather her wits, and turned to face her indignant student.

"Now that you have transformed, all you have to do is focus on your human form and think 'reditus'. But before that, lets work on flying," McGonagall commandeered as if she had not been nearly on the floor with laughter moments before.

Mina gave her one last scathing look before lumbering up onto Minerva's outstretched arm.

"I hope you know how proud I am," the older woman whispered, her face in a soft, indulgent smile.

That was the last thing Minerva said before Mina's crash course in flying. They stayed up until nearly sunrise before Mina transformed back and made her way back to Ravenclaw tower nursing quite a few bruises. As it turned out, flying doesn't come naturally for an animagus.

 **27 March, 1972**

 **Gryffindor Tower**

"It's our birthday!" The twins squeeled, jumping up and down on James's four poster.

The other boys groaned. Mina usually worked to calm down James' more eccentric tendencies, to the relief of his roommates, but when she joined in, they called it 'twin-nado'. The two fed off each other's emotions until they were a force of nature.

As if they commanded it, a pile of presents appeared at the bottom of James' bed. The pitch of their combined blabbering quickly reached a tone only understood by bats and elicited groans of pain from the three sleepy boys in the room. The house elves' in their transcendent, omniscient ways, arranged both Mina and James' gifts in separate piles at the bottom of the four-poster. They practically fell off the bed in their race to get to the mass of carefully wrapped boxes.

"If dad gets you another broom this year, I swear-" Mina started, gently pulling the paper off of a small, flat box while eyeing James as he ripped the paper off a long tall mass that turned out to be walking stick with a little note tied around it.

Reading the note quickly, then moving on to the next box without hesitation, James butted in, "I hope that one is another snitch. That last one barely lasted a week."

"Jamie! Look! It's a new dragon! I've wanted a purple one." Mina beamed, holding up a small figurine out of her delicately opened box.

"Now we can do the dungeon adventure- Minie! Practice robes! I bet mum got you a blue set. Look in that box!"

Mina pulled off the wrapping from another flat box that James was pointing to. "Oh! They're perfect!"

Neither of the twins noticed Sirius, Remus, or Peter watching them cautiously from their respective beds or the grumbles they were emitting in response to their early morning cheerfulness. Only when Mina and James were surrounded by a nest of ripped paper with an assortment of Quidditch gear, toys, clothes, and jewelry in front of them did they notice their friends staring at them. They both blinked owlishly in unison at the unexpected attention.

The moment of unsuspecting, hesitant silence wavered as Sirius opened his mouth to make a sarcastic witticism, however, he faltered when Mina and James turned toward each other in near-unison. The comment died on his lips while he watched the two communicate without words. James looked as if he was going to ask his sister a question, but her stern face muted him before he had the chance to speak. Then, her eyebrow quirked marginally, James grinned, and she nodded. Within the span of three seconds, they apparently had an entire conversation and reached a mutual conclusion.

"Pimsy!" They both shouted in empty space.

Peter and Remus were bewildered, their hair a tousled mess from sleep, they looked at each other as if to ask what joke they were missing. Sirius though, he knew exactly what was about to happen and braced himself.

A loud crack announced Pimsy's arrival. The tiny, lavender eyed house elf appeared in front of the twins with a broad grin on her face. "Pimsy thought young Master and Mistress had forgotten about her," she said pitifully, her face dropping into a pout.

James chimed in first. "I could never forget about you, Pimsy," he smiled cheekily.

Mina pulled Pimsy into a soft hug and whispered beneath everyone but Remus' hearing, "you were about to pop in anyway, weren't you?"

Pimsy gave Mina a squeeze, patted her on the head, and declared, "Young Mistress is the smartest witch."

James was practically vibrating with excitement. "Breakfast?" He blurted in his poor attempt to practice patience.

Pimsy smiled indulgently, basking in the the feeling of being needed from her two favorite charges. "Mistress told Pimsy that Young Master and Mistress were too old for birthday breakfast." James' face fell. "But Pimsy never makes birthday breakfast. Only dessert."

With a flourish that Sirius had never seen before from a house elf, Pimsy waved her hand and snapped her fingers with a slight bow, and a table laden with cakes, fruit, pastries, a chocolate fondue, and six different types of juice appeared in the middle of their dormitory. Equal pangs of envy and hunger struck his stomach at once.

Mina and James tackled Pimsy into a group hug, saying their thanks repeatedly. Sirius could have been mistaken, but by the time Mimsy finally un-latched the two children, he could have swore she was blushing. He didn't know that house elves could blush.

"Pimsy must get back to Manor. Master needs his bone potion," the elf said hurriedly, keeping her tears at bay, before popping away.

Mina was cutting James a piece of his favorite chocolate cake, and James was pouring them both tangerine juice, when Mina's voice rang out, "We're not just going to eat this in front of you. Grab a plate. But leave half of the strawberry cake for me."

The twins continued on with their typical birthday breakfast as the other boys gaped at the two and their table of sweets. Sirius was the first to recover from their nonchalance. "Half of the cake?" He sputtered incredulously.

Mina whipped around, a piece of watermelon in her mouth as she growled, "Don't you judge me, Sirius Black. I have seen you eat an entire bowl of potatoes by yourself."

Knowing when to stand down had never been a specialty of Sirius', but the feeling of imminent death that radiated from her hard eyes told Sirius to put his hands up and approach with caution. "Fine. Half a cake," he murmured while edging closer to a safe pile of almond croissants. He picked up a pastry gingerly, and upon hearing no signs of protest, promptly devoured the croissant in record time. It was heavenly. Another pang of jealously hit his heart like an off key note that rings in your ears longer than necessary.

Mina turned toward him almost as if she could hear the wrong note reverberating around the chambers in his heart. Bringing her piece of horridly pink, strawberry cake along, she took up residence next to him and ate quietly. After a minute of silence weighing upon him and one piece of cake later, she piped up. "I'm sure Pimsy would love to make a birthday breakfast in November. She gets so few opportunities to spoil people with only four of us. Plus, mum isn't a big sweets person, so she just gets a variety of bran muffins and tea for her birthday breakfast. Our birthday, dad's birthday, and Yule are basically the only times she gets to bake- which is her second favorite hobby next to knitting."

He knew that polite society would tell him to turn down the offer, but Sirius was never one to listen to society. "Can she make canelé? I ate them once at a ball my mother was holding for something snobbish, and Kreacher refused to learn the recipe. I've been craving them for three years," he pleaded knowing that it made him feel weak, but Mina would not judge him for it.

Mina's smile brightened. "Pimsy has made them once before at Yule, but dad nearly cracked a tooth on one, and she made a vow not to bake them anywhere where he could reach them. He has resorted to begging, but she has held firm so far. I think she'll break by next year. She likes being needed far too much," Mina explained, her eyes glistening with unseen memories.

Remus slid next to Mina, and she unconsciously made room for him and passed him the rest of her chocolate dipped strawberries. "Hey, my birthday was last week. Where is my birthday breakfast?" he asked his face screeched up in an adorable pout. Hearing no immediate apologies, he waxed on, "I'm wounded. Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are deprived of breakfast."

Mina chuckled at his antics. "I believe the quote is 'out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are _seamed with scars_ ',"* she pronounced, lights tapping Remus on the nose along a scar that was hardly noticeable from a distance, and smiling up at him. It brought her so joy to have a friend her age that genuinely enjoyed literature as she did.

Remus' eyes flickered with suspicion before quickly returning to easy affection. "Deprivation of birthday breakfasts is the very definition of suffering."

"I disagree," James pronounced, half of his face coated in either chocolate icing or fondue. "The definition of suffering is a pile of presents that are just sitting there- ignored."

Mina grinned. "Agreed."

James' chest puffed out as he proudly announced, "We'll meet by the portrait on sir Dimbly the fifth on the third floor after Charms. These Zonko's dung bombs aren't going to prank themselves."

His band of marauders- and Mina- whooped in agreement. Birthdays were wonderful.

~oo00oo~

 **13 April, 1972**

 **Shrieking Shack**

 **9:00 pm**

His screams tore through her heart. Every crack and pop of his joints reforming made her flinch. She wasn't sure if she felt better when the whimpers of pain died down into a faint, carnal growl- either way, it was her cue. Unfurling her wings, she fluttered down the chimney rather clumsily kicking up a whirlwind of dust and ash. When the dust settled, the snarling face of a tan werewolf greeted her.

Anyone with two braincells to rub together would recognized the danger that lied within the saliva dripping from the wolf's fangs, thus Mina let out a fearful squawk and flew as quickly as possible toward the second floor. She knew what she would find at the bottom of the fireplace, but that didn't stop her instincts from taking over. The scratching of nails told Mina that Moony was giving chase, and her mind raced both in triumph and panic. She landed on the top of a large, oak wardrobe to take a quick glance behind her to see Remus' state.

The werewolf that had chased her when she was a child- the terrifying wolf hybrid that haunted her dreams for longer than she would admit- was looking intently up at her from the floor with bright gold eyes and wagging its nub of a tail. Merlin, Remus looked like a monster puppy. She would never let him live that down.

Weaving her way back and forth through different floors of the rickety building, Mina and Moony spent the night playing tag and hide-and-go-seek. Watching Moony attempt to hide behind a broken door with more holes in it than Swiss cheese was worth the day without sleep she would face come dawn. Mina contemplated writing out her experiences with Moony for future research. It seemed that werewolves regarded other animals as non-threatening and not worth eating- or maybe just intelligent animals. She would have to see how Moony would react around a real bird.

When the sun came up, the werewolf began to get anxious and started to scratch at himself with discomfort. Mina, seeing the blood seep from the scratches, swept down to distract him. She would nip at his paw, he would turn to nip back, but she would be too far away. The light playing gave just enough stimulation to the wolf that when the cracking of bones began, only two gashes marred the body of a young Remus Lupin.

Remus' whimpers were softer as he returned to himself. Mina knew she should turn away, give him privacy, and fly out before he noticed her, but her heart ached for him. He lay curled up in a ball on the cold wood floor, stark naked, hyperventilating. She felt a warm tear form at the corner of her eye, and a thought flashed through her mind. Being a Gryffindor at heart, she dove down toward her friend without thought of consequences.

Remus startled under her claws light grasp. She had to flutter her wings to stay upright. He gasped at her appearance, but Mina had a single-minded focus. She had to know if her theory would work, so she ignored his probing and put her energy into dropping a tear directly into the open wound raking across his shoulder. Focusing on his pain, and how he deserved none of it, she guided a tear down her head where it fell with a light hiss onto his shoulder. He jerked back, and that time, Mina did tumble off of his arm. Luckily, she caught herself in midair. Unluckily, Remus backed away from her so fast he twisted his ankle and fell to the ground with a groan.

He looked up with a bewildered expression- caught between fear and confusion. "Wha-what are you doing?" He stammered.

Gently dropping to the ground, she began to walk slowly toward her friend. He was shivering and covering his important bits while watching her cautiously. Once she was close enough, she nudged her beak under his arm, pulling his arm away from the cut on his thigh.

Bringing thoughts of her friend's suffering forward, she guided another tear into the gash raking across his leg. The golden drop melted into his flesh before impossibly thin gold strands began knitting his flesh back together again. Both the phoenix and the young boy stared at his healing flesh in fascination, only looking away when the last thread pulled shut, leaving unmarred skin.

Remus looked at the strange bird perched on his thigh in wonder. "Thank you-" he began, but the second he reached out his hand to lightly touch a black feather, the bird flapped its wings and disappeared up the chimney leaving only a downy feather in its stead. "Who are you?" He mumbled to himself as he stretched his sore limbs that, for the first time, were not covered with cuts.

Looking around the rickety shack that he had come to associate with painful, lonely exile, a bead of hope bloomed in his chest. Maybe life was getting even better for Remus Lupin.

~oo00oo~

 **8 June, 1972**

 **Third Floor History of Magic Classroom**

"For question seventy two, did you think the goblins or the merpeople were the instigators of the tenth century Goblin rebellion?"

A rambunctious group of first years were chattering as they stumbled their way out of the classroom. The group of Ravenclaws and Slytherins were either breathing a sigh of relief or worrying about the one hundred and fifty question test they had all endured. George Goldstein was in amongst the crowd that were stressing over their grade.

"The only thing you had to remember about the tenth century was Hogwarts was built. Question seventy two was about the twelfth century," Severus Snape's constantly condescending voice drawled from the back of the cluster of children.

George groaned into Pandora's shoulder as the friends split of from the larger group toward the castle grounds. Mina and Darlene lead the way toward a particularly inviting willow that had an excellent view of Black lake while talking animatedly about their plans for summer. Once the group sat in a clustered circle under the shade, Mina stopped George and Pandora's moaning.

"You two stop! It's summer! We're finished with exams. You can moan and groan over exams when we take our O.W.L.s," Mina admonished, a slight twitch of irritation scrunching her brow before it disappeared entirely when her face was pulled into a bright smile. "Now, we need to coordinate summer plans."

"Isn't being forced to see you for nine months of the year torture enough?" Severus droned, only the slight quirk of a smirk giving him away.

"Hush you," Mina dismissed with a wave, but her eyes were lit with amusement. "Or I may forget to bring you that book on inventing potions from my father's library."

Severus gave her a scathing glare, but soon found himself swept up in joyous summer plans with friends. He couldn't help thinking just how much more entertaining his life had become since Mina placed herself in it. Hopefully, the next year would prove to be even better.

From the corner of her eye, Mina saw Severus giving her a goofy grin which she couldn't help but reciprocate.

 _ **A.N./ I hope you all had a lovely week. Thank you so much for reading this story and for all of the reviews that have helped me correct my writing and given me ideas and encouragement. I hope you come back for more chapters to come.**_

 _ **If you have any comments, critiques, or criticism, feel free to review. I read every review even if I don't get back to you.**_


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